X For Xtreme
by angel3db
Summary: Post Chosen and Not Fade Away. There's major betrayal in the Council and only one man can stop it, Xander. The only problem is, he's supposed to be dead.
1. Chapter 1 Death Becomes You

**X For Xtreme**

Post Chosen and Not Fade Away. There's major betrayal in the Council and only one man can stop it. The only problem is, he's supposed to be dead.

A/N This isn't a V for Vendetta crossover but rather it will borrow loosely from it's theme.

Chapter 1

Death Becomes You

The Alley Behind The Hyperion Hotel

Early Morning

"Oh my God." were the first words to come out of Buffy's mouth as she saw the carnage, blood, and gore that littered the alley before her. Demon's she had never seen before sat slumped up against the walls, their dead bodies rotting, as the initiative soldiers ran past her.

'Why the hell didn't Angel tell me about this?' Buffy asked herself. 'Or atleast Faith. Where is she anyway. Every since I talked to her about Angel's death she dissappeared. "What the hell happened here?"

"According to Mr. Giles and...other sources Mr. Angel tried to take out The Circle of the Blackthorn." a snobbish looking man wearing tweed said as he walked up. His name was Percy one of Giles' old friends and a Watcher. "And he and his group succeeded, but it cost them their lives. We've even found the body of another member of his team, quite far away from here."

"Who was it?"

"An ex Watcher by the name of, Wesley Wyndam Pryce."

"Wes." Buffy said softly, as she lowered her head in silence.

"Miss Summers we've found a survivor." a soldier said calmly. All Buffy could think at the moment, as the soldier led her to where the survivor was, was that she hoped it was Angel. Nothing prepared her however, when she looked down and saw Spike half hidden underneath a pile of demon bodies and a small tent the soldiers had made to keep the sunlight off of him.

A tear came to her eye as she saw that his left arm was ripped completely off and that he trembled in pain. She had never seen him so hurt...so lost.

"Spike?" she asked tentively. After a few seconds, Spike's eyes rolled back into the forefront of his head and he settled them on Buffy's weeping face.

"Y...yoy came." Spike managed to say as, some blood trickled out of his mouth.

"Yeah." Buffy replied as more tears came out of her eyes, as she held him up. "I...I can't believe that you're still alive. How...when...why didn't you call me?"

"Pfft...come n...now luv, you already knew I was back."

"No, Spike I didn't..."

"Where are the others?" Spike asked forcefully, as he pushed through his own pain. "Blue, Charlie boy, Peaches..." looking up at a soldier, who shook his head, Buffy looked back down at Spike and frowned.

"I'm sorry, Spike, but you're the only one that made it."

"Then, I guess there's only one thing left to do." he said as he looked beside himself and saw a wooden lance. Picking it up, before Buffy could stop him in time as he plunged the wood through his heart.

"No..." Buffy cried to herself, as Spike's dust started to float in the wind.

Watcher's Headquarters

London

The Seventeenth Floor

"We'll go out on patrol in just a few minutes." Xander said to Rona as he ran into Giles' office and started to rummage through his desk.

Every since the destruction of Sunnydale, Giles had taken over as head Watcher of the Council and had made the whole Scooby Gang official Watcher's. Willow was head over the magicks department, Dawn was a Watcher in training, Robin was abroad gathering other Slayers, and Faith, Buffy, and himself were over the Slayer's training.

"I just have to find a few notes and..." he stopped talking as he picked up an opened letter in his desk. He knew he shouldn't go snooping in Giles' things, but something about the letter called to him. Opening it up, he saw that it was written in latin, so he deciphered it. Once he did, his one good eye widened in surprise. "Rona, something just came up so I want you and Vi to lead a team of Slayer's for patrol tonight."

"Me?" she asked, happily.

"Yeah, you're my top Slayer gal." he said as he looped an arm around her shoulder, while leading her out of the room. "I need to talk to Giles for awhile."

"Alright, I'll go and get Vi." she replied as she ran out of the room with Xander looking after her, with a sad smile.

Steeling himself, he walked out of Giles' room and down the hallway to the meeting room. Opening up the double doors, he saw Giles in a meeting heavily debating a few things with about ten Watcher's.

"Giles, I need to talk to you."

"Xander, I'm in a very important meeting and..."

"Giles this is important."

"Very well." Giles replied as he let out a sigh. "We will continue this meeting later today."

Waiting until, Andrew and all of the other Watcher's left the room, Xander picked up the letter and slammed it down hard on the long conference table.

"What the hell is this about, G-man?" he asked as Giles simply picked up the letter and smiled.

"So, you've been snooping through my things?" Giles asked, calmly as he stood to his feet and started to pour himself a glass of scotch. "Somehow, I knew it would be you to find out about my little secret. You are the one who see's after all."

As he said that, Xander looked up with his one good eye. The last person to have called him the one that see's was Caleb and the thought of hearing it now, out of his father figure was unnerving.

"Giles, what the hell is going on! Why didn't you tell us that Angel was planning on taking out the Circle of Blackthorn?"

"Because, I wanted them all to die Alex." Giles said as he calmly leaned on the desk and took a sip of his drink. "The Circle, Angel, Spike...all of them."

"Spike, what the hell are you..." before he could get the words out, Giles produced a tranquilizer gun, shooting Xander twice in the stomach with it. As his eyes rolled to the back of his head, Xander sank to his knee's and fell over, even as the venom from the darts started to make his body decompose.

Hiding the gun, Giles picked up his office chair and threw it at the closed window, sending glass flying. Running back to the desk, he tore a sleeve off of his suit, tussled his hair a bit, and hit the intercom button on the desk.

"This is Rupert Giles, I need help in my office immediately." he said as he glanced down at Xander's massively decomposed body. "A Dagoron demon broke into my office."

"So the games have begun?" a disemboweled voice asked.

"So it would seem." Giles replied, as he cut off the intercom and looked back down at Xander's body. "You know, it's a shame really. I wanted Xander to be there to see what I had planned."

"Do you think he told anyone else?" the voice asked, as Giles picked up the letter and crumbled it in one hand.

"I have no idea, but I believe that he was extremely close to his Slayer, Rona."

"Do you think he told her?"

"Really, I have no earthly idea." Giles said as he drank the last of his scotch.

"Well we can't afford any screw ups. Have her killed, but make it look like an accident to avoid suspicion."

"As you wish." Giles said, turning his smile into a frown as the first of the Slayers filed into the room.

Three Days Later

Winsler Cemetery

Late Afternoon

"I knew Alexander Lavell Harris, for over eight years." Giles was saying, at he stood ontop of a high podium, looking down at the crowds of people that stood gathered for the funeral.

Xander's body and face were so decomposed that they put a vail over his face. They were going to just have a closed casket funeral, but the Slayer's that Xander was in charge of said, that they wanted to put a few things into his casket, before he got buried.

"When we first met, I must admit that I never thought that I would think of him as anything more then a jokester. But now looking down at him, I feel that I've lost a son. Whenever the group was down and out, he would always be there with a grin and a laugh that would make us all feel better...sometimes." he said causing a few people in the crowd to laugh at that. "What, I'm trying to say is goodbye son. And please rest in peace."

Stepping off of the stage, allowing Rona up so she could talk about Xander, he walked by the casket and put a Joker mask into it. When Buffy had asked him, earlier that morning why he chose that as Xander's last present, he had replied that it was the only clown mask that he could find to symbolize Xander's good nature.

"I...I just can't believe that he's gone Buffy." Willow was saying over to the Slayer, as they walked by Xander's coffin. "I mean I talked to him a day before..."

"It's gonna be okay, Will." Buffy tried to comfort her, even though she was feeling depressed herself. All the men she had loved were now gone. Angel, Spike, and now Xander.

"No this isn't going to be okay, Buffy." Willow replied, as she looked over at her, tears stinging her eyes. "Just look at what that thing did to him."

"I can't." Buffy said, as tears now stung at her own eyes. She was trying to be strong for Willow, but she couldn't hold her pain in any longer. "I can't because everytime I look at him, I feel in my heart that I failed to save him. Now, I gotta live with that for the rest of my life."

Not saying another word, the two friends held onto each other and cried until they couldn't anymore. With tears in their own eyes Dawn, Rona, and Kennedy walked by and started to lead them away in the limo.

Remembering her gift, Willow ran back over to the coffin and placed a V for Vendetta comic on Xander's chest. She had stolen it from him when they were little kids and she had jokingly told him that he would only get it back, over one of their dead bodies. That memory of saying that, suddenly hit her, only making her cry that much harder. Watching as they closed the casket and lowered it into the ground, Willow nodded her head before getting into the awaiting limo.

Later That Night

Harsh winds and rain swept through the cemetery, as thunder boomed in the night sky. As little droplets fell from the leaves from the neighboring trees, a lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground where Xander was buried. Then the night was still.

Suddenly a hand burst out from the muddy ground, then another hand, just as Xander's head and shoulders came up. Gasping for air, he pulled himself up onto the grass, and layed there panting. As he did so, an orange glow surrounded him and the rest of his skin started to reappear back on his body.

Collecting himself and calming down a bit, he looked around at the dark cemetery, very fearfully. Shaking from the cold, he stood to his feet and hit something with his foot. Bending down to pick it up he saw that it was, he saw a pale face, green hair, and ruby red lips. It was a dirty Joker mask.

'What...what happened to me?' he asked himself, as he wobbled unsteadily on his feet. After thinking that for a moment, he thought back to his exchange with Giles and what he had did to him.

With new thoughts entering his head, he started to walk uncertainly through the cemetery. If Giles was the one who had done this to him, then he was unsure of who to trust and he had no place to go. If he had've stayed a little while longer, he would have seen the V for Vendetta comic blowing in the wind, even as it's pages started to burn, from where the lightning had struck.

A/N In the next chapter, I'll explain why Xander came back. Also I hope you guys liked this first chapter. I'm gonna try to make this as good as possible. Oh and this will be a short story.

To Be Continued... please review or I can't update


	2. Chapter 2 Hollow Grave

A/N I added a little scene with Buffy and Willow talking about Xander as well as them finding out a little more about him and plus there's gonna be a few surprises in this chapter. As always thanks for the reviews and I hope you guys like this newest chapter.

Chapter 2

Hollow Grave

Place Unknown

Harps being played and the laughter of children, could be heard as a figure stood before a crystal ball. Shaking her head in disgust at what she had seen, she threw back the hood of her white robe, revealing a beautiful woman with short brown hair.

"I hope, I'm not disturbing you Seer?" a voice asked from behind her. Turning she smiled as an angel approached her.

"No, you're not disturbing me at all, Micheal." she replied with a sad smile. "On the contrary, I need your help."

"I am at your disposal." he said with a bow, his golden locks of hair falling over his face.

"There's something on earth...a demonic force that's trying to take over. And if my prediction is right, it will."

"The champions of earth..."

"Won't see it coming, because someone they love and trust is involved." she cut him off. "Which is why, I need your help. I wanted you to send me down..."

"That cannot be done Seer. We have already bent the rules for you once and allowed you to warn Angel of the Circle."

"And now he and his team are dead." she replied, as he looked at her startled.

"That cannot be." he said walking past her and looking into her crystal ball. "The Shanshu..."

"Will go unfulfilled, I know. But that's not the problem now...some dark old force is rising."

"Then I suppose that we should do something about that. But the problem is you can't go back to earth." Micheal said, thinking.

"There is one thing that we can do. Someone I knew in my previous life just died..."

"I don't like that look on your face Seer." Micheal said as he took a few steps back.

"He's very perceptive and he'll catch on to what's going on. All you have to do is give him a little of your power and resurrect hi..."

"Why do I feel like, I'm going to regret this?" Micheal asked himself, as he rolled his eyes at the Seer. Doing a bit of magick an orange mist floated out of his body. "Your request is granted, but be warned that his ressurrection will only last for a short time. To have true closure to the legacy of Angel and William the bloody their vampiric strength, reflexes, and power will be at his disposal. Now tell me where he's buried."

'I might not be able to go back, but I can still send a message to someone. Now where the hell is she?' The Seer thought to herself as she turned back to the crystal, surprised that her target was so close. "Alright, dweeb it's time for you to wake up."

Inside Xander's Grave

As a bolt of lightning struck Xander's grave, the orange mist from before swirled around the head, which was a skull with much of the skin rotting off and the hair decaying.

As the mist moved around the body, the eyeballs reappeared, the skin and hair repaired themselves, and it resolved into Xander, wide-eyed and gasping. Taking the veil off of his head, he looked around, panting, with an expression of extreme fear. After a moment he suddenly figured out that he was inside of his own coffin.

With a tear falling down his cheeks, he pounded frantically on the sides, trying to scream but no sound would come out. Looking terrified, continued pounding, banging on the inner lid just inches from his face. With a whimper, he began to rip away the cloth that covered the inside of the lid, grunting with exertion as the cloth ripped.

Letting out a low cry, he punched it so hard that his fist went through the wood. Sitting up, mud began to rain down on him as he pulled at the wood, widening the hole. Clawing madly at his muddy grave, a few things clinging to his body, he finally managed to get out of his coffin and fell to the muddy ground.

Wobbling unsteadily on his feet, he looked around then down at his tombstone, through heavy sheets of rain. Not believing what he was seeing, he turned to leave but his foot hit something. Looking down he picked it up and saw that it was the mask of one of Batman's greatest enemies. The Joker.

As he thought about what happened to him, revenge and anger filled his heart as he thought about Giles' betrayal. The first thing that came to his mind was that if a man like him, a father figure, could do such a thing that he probably couldn't trust any of his friends. Walking off into the night, feeling as though he was going to pass out, he stumbled around because everything was blurry and indistinct.

Walking towards the gated area, he squinted and frowned at the unrecognizable objects. Even the one that stepped out in front of him.

" Ello kitten." a british voice said, smiling widely at him. "The stars told me that you would be 'ere."

"Dru?" he asked, as he recognized the voice. As his eyes finally focused, he saw the beautiful vampiress, in a black gothic dress, smiling warmly at him before finally passing out. Before he could hit the dirty ground again, Dru rushed forward, her demonic power pushing her as she caught him inches from the mud.

Making a clicking noise with her tongue, she picked him up and cradled him in her arms.

"Fret not kitten. Mummy's 'ere." with that said she took off with him, into the night.

Watcher's Headquarters

Sametime

"Any luck finding, Faith?" Willow asked Buffy as she walked into the kitchen area of the Council and handed her a soda.

"Like, I figured, she took Angel's death harder then I thought." Buffy said as she sat on the window seal and looked out into the rainy night. "I went to her room earlier today and I bumped into her. Most of her stuff was packed and she said that she was leaving."

"Did she say when she'd be back or where she's going?" Willow asked as she pulled up a chair and sat beside her. Her and Faith had long buried the hatchet that they had against one another. After awhile they even started to like each other.

"No, but I think she said she was going back to Boston for awhile." Buffy said as she opened her soda and took a sip of it. "She was acting real shirty though and it gave me the wiggins."

"Shirty?" Willow asked with a raised eyebrow. "Is that even a word?"

"She was acting like she was hearing a voice in her head." Buffy continued, ignoring her friends comment. "I was going to try to stop her, but you know how she is."

"Yeah." Willow replied, as they fell into an uncomfortable silence. That was until, Willow saw a tear fall out of Buffy's eye. Seeing that her friend was watching her, she hurried to wipe them away. "Hey, let's talk about something else. Maybe that'll cheer you up." Willow said perking up a bit.

"Isn't that what we're doing now, Will?" Buffy asked with a smile. "We're talking right?"

"Yeah, but just not about the right thing. I think we need to talk about Xander."

"No Will I..."

"My first memory of him was when we were five." Willow said thinking of times past. "We had just started kindergarden and Cordelia started picking on me. I didn't have any friends at all so I went to a corner and started crying."

"That's so sad." Buffy said as she held the witches hand. Her story just served as a reminder that she had missed much of Willow and Xander's lives and that she had only known them a short period of time. It also reminded her of how shy, Willow used to be. But looking at her now, she smiled at how much she had grown.

"Yeah, but that was until Xander came along. He totally ignored Cordelia and her group and came over to play with me. We've been friends ever since."

"That reminds me of when I first met him." Buffy, said as she put her back to the window and turned around. "He was the first friendly face that I met in Sunnydale."

As the two went on about their friend and the ups and downs in their lives, Willow suddenly took a book out of her backpack and handed it to Buffy.

"What's this?" Buffy asked as she started to flip through the book and saw some dates.

"It's Xander's journal." Willow replied as, Buffy met her gaze. "I was cleaning out his room when I found it. He started it around the same time you came into town."

"I...I can't believe this." Buffy said as she read the first line on the first page. 'I met this beautiful blonde named Buffy today.'

"Before you get to far in the journal, I think there's a few things you need to know."

"Like what?"

"Well, about Angel." Willow said as she started to fidget. "Or Angelus instead. You remember when you had the flu when Angel lost his soul?"

"Yeah." Buffy said closing the book.

"Well, Xander stayed behind to watch over you. Angelus came round and he was gonna turn you that night..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Will. I don't remember anything like that happening."

"That's because Xander stopped him, before he could make it past the waiting room. And according to his journal he did it without even having a stake or cross."

Still not totally believing what Willow had told, her Buffy skipped to that night in Xander's journal. After reading it, she skipped to another and then another. At that moment she couldn't decide whether to be angry at Xander or if she should count her blessing's that he was even around. But knowing Buffy, she decided with anger first. Especially when she read the part about him lying to her when she had to send Angel to hell.

"That idiot." Buffy said as she closed the book and sat it down on the window seal. "I can't believe that he was lying to me this whole time."

"You read that part about Angel didn't you?" Willow asked as she picked up the book.

"Not just that...it's all of it!" Buffy shouted as she threw her hands up in frustration.

"Think about it Buffy, if you knew the truth what would it have changed?"

"Everything!" Buffy shouted again, before calming down. "Xander was my heart, Will. I could look at him and Dawn and think...hey this is what I'm fighting for." she said as she put her head in Willow's lap. "When he would smile at me and tell me a joke, even in our worst situations he would always make me feel better and give me hope."

"I know." Willow said, trying not to cry as she softly stroked Buffy's hair. "I know."

"But now after reading this...I...I just feel that I didn't know him at all."

"Despite everything he was still Xander, Buff."

"I know but...he was more of a hero then I ever was. And...and he kept that smile like nothing happened. Even after the things I said to him. And just to think, all this time I've been trying to keep him safe and he was doing the same for me. Why didn't he tell me about this?"

"You know how Xander is..." Willow replied as she kept stroking Buffy's hair. "He always has to play the hero."

"I'm gonna kill that thing, Will." Buffy said as her eyes suddenly flashed with anger. "Whatever did this to him, I'm gonna find it and rip off it's head."

"Mmmm." a voice said, clearing his throat. Looking up they saw Giles standing in the doorway. "I hope, I'm not interrupting anything?"

"No." Buffy replied, quickly as she stood up and wiped off her tears. "Now what's the what? Did you find out anything new about Xander's killer?"

"No, but it does slightly involve him." he replied as he took off his glasses to polish them. "I hate to talk about this at such a time, but with Xander's death and Faith's sudden dissappearance, we need someone to take on a more authoritative position."

"Who did you have in mind?" Buffy asked as she crossed her arms.

"I was actually thinking of making Rona a senior Slayer. She'll have all the rights and benefits that you and Faith shared and she would be in charge of the Slayer's that Xander led."

"Rona?" Willow asked in disbelief. "I think she's a nice girl and all, but she just doesn't seem like leadership material."

"I agree with her, Giles." Buffy said as she walked up to him. "If anybody were to become a Senior Slayer, then I would have to say that it should be Kennedy. I mean she took charge of Faith's group since she left."

"Oh none sense, Buffy." Giles replied as he put his glasses back on and turned to leave. "Rona's a Slayer and there for a natural born leader. And since she was Xander's favorite, I think that her promotion will help to lift everyone's spirits. I'll tell her the good news...good night."

As he left, Willow and Buffy looked over at each other in disbelief. Something was definately wrong with their Watcher.

* * *

Groaning in pain, Xander felt that he was laying on something soft. Opening his eyes...

"My eyes?" Xander said in the plural as his hand immediately went to his face. And sure enough the scarred tissue that was once all that was left of his eye was gone and was replaced by his real eye.

Snapping out of his reverie, he finally looked around at his surroundings. He was in a main room of what seemed to be a place that was underground. It was filled with an amazing collection of human culture and dolls that littered the floor. There was art that spanned from the renaissance to the painted covers of Eerie comics, literature that ranged from Shakespeare to Spillane, philosophy from Plato to Bukowski, and a vast collection of nonfiction.

As he was about to step out of the bed, his hand suddenly brushed up against something. Looking down at it, he flung it across the room as he saw that it was a Joker mask.

'God, I hate clowns.' he thought to himself as he rose out of the bed.

"Is my lil' kitten afraid?" Drusilla asked as she emerged out of the shadows, making Xander jump back in fright.

"Well, I wasn't until now." Xander commented dryly, as he backed up against a wall, desperately looking for a weapon.

"I'm not going to harm you silly." Dru commented as she got in his face and leaned down to smell on his face and neck. "Because you're already dead."

"You...you turned me?" he asked. 'I don't feel like a vampire...well how the hell would I know how being a vampire is like anyway?'

"No...no my dear." she replied, as she licked the base of his neck to his ear. "But you are my Not-Daddy."

"Your...Dru what the hell are you talking about?" he asked. 'And how the hell did Spike put up with her for so long. She's nuts.' She then frowned at him, leaving him to wonder if she had read his thoughts or not.

"You're my new daddy you are. Can't you feel his power?" she asked as she caressed his face. "Poor not Daddy and my Spike. They're gone now in the fire." she said as she pulled him into a hug and cried into his chest.

Startled all he could do was hold him in his arms and pat her on the back. Thinking of what she had said, his mind went to Giles and then back to Angel. And now that he thought about it, he did feel different. Like a foriegn power invaded his body. He felt powerful... agile... dangerous.

As Dru let go of him, he took a good look at her face and then into her eyes. He saw that she was sincere about everything that she had said and that she wouldn't hurt him, but yet as he looked deeper he saw a sparkle of light in her. It was beautiful but almost blinding. He made a mental note to ask her about that, but at the time being he needed some more information.

"Dru what did you mean by me being your new...daddy?" he asked calmly, even though that wasn't what he was feeling. With a sad smile on her face she reached for him and not turning away he held her hand.

"Your queen, spoke to me in me dreams she did." she said as she danced around, as if hearing some kind of music. "She told me that it was your birthday and that you would get something shiny."

"Something shiny?" he asked, as he thought about it. "Are you talking about a soul?"

"Yes, your shiny and my daddies shiny, and Spike's shiny." she said as she poked him in the chest, with her long finger. "You have them all, swirling around in you now." she said as she pulled him into a dance, which he easily, if not clumsily fell into the step of.

Thinking a moment at her meaning, Xander shuddered a little. He couldn't believe that he had to share his body with Angel and Spike's shinies...souls. Putting that on the back burner for now, he asked another question.

"What about, Giles...what did my queen tell you about him?"

"That bloody owl...isn't what he seems...oh Alex it's horrible. Just horrible."

"What do you mean, Dru?" Xander asked as he stopped the dance. It was like they were having a wierd sort of prom, mostly because he was wearing a tuxedo. "What do you mean that he's not what he seems?"

"He's a puppet he is. A puppet for the thing that lies below." she said pointing to the ground.

"Are you talking about, Satan?" Xander asked, as she pulled him into another dance, while putting her head on his chest.

"No, Alex...no I'm talking about the other thing. The First..."

"The First! But..."

"We're the only one's that can stop it. Me, the dark Slayer, and the one that laughs." she said as she picked up the Joker mask that he had tossed to the floor. "Your queen made that our destiny."

"My queen? Who, who is my queen. Is it Willow...Buffy...?"

"Why are you asking me?" she asked him seriously. "Can't you tell that, I'm crazy?"

'That and more.' he thought to himself. "Honestly Dru, and I never thought that I would say this, but you're all I got. Until I can figure out what's going on you're the only friend I have."

"No...he is too." she said as she handed him the mask. "And your dark Slayer..."

"Which is who?" he asked, only for her to give him a look. "Right you don't know."

"Of course I do." she said with a pout. "I'm not crazy."

"Alright, Dru." he started with a roll of his eyes. "Just tell me everything that my...queen told you." because if he couldn't trust his friends, he knew that he had to do something. What...at the moment he didn't know. And looking down at the mask, he wondered how such a thing would fit into the equation.

One Week Later

Night

Rona wondered the streets of London, alone, with the strict order of Giles to patrol by herself. She was happy about the promotion that she had gotten, but something was definately wrong with the old Watcher.

But her mind wouldn't let her think of that, at that moment. Her thoughts were strictly consumed with Xander. When they had first met, she had thought of him as nothing more then a smart mouthed goofball. But upon spending time with him, she found that he really cared for her. In her hometown of Georgia, white folk were only nice to her if they wanted to use her for something. But not him...he was never like that...he was different. He was always patient with her, he never lost his temper, and he took his time in training her.

Picking up a demonic presense, she turned only to fly off her feet by a powerful punch. Turning her downward spiral into a roll, as the ground came quickly to her, she sprang to her feet. Looking around herself and getting into a defensive position, she saw that it was a demon that hit her.

The demon had long, pointed ears sticking out of his cheeks, with uneven gray skin. It had a long nose and was wearing his hair in a tacky, greasy comb-over. Otherwise, he dressed like a normal person, only wearing a tuxedo.

"Hey ugly, ready to rumble?" she asked as she took out a dagger.

"Now was that really necessary?" the demon asked as it snapped it's fingers, even as two more demons came out of the shadows. "And I wasn't even going to do this for fun, just for the money. Oh well..."

Before he lunged forward they all heard a maniacal laugh, that filled the air. Looking around for the source of it, they saw a dark shape land a few inches behind Rona. Standing up from it's crouch, they saw that it was a man wearing an all black tuxedo, a black cloak, and a fedora styled hat. But the strangest thing about him, however, was the mask that he wore. It had an all white face, with green hair, and ruby red lips that stood frozen in a sick and twisted smile.

Sensing something behind her, Rona shot out a leg only for it to be caught in a tight grip. Turning, she saw the figure that the demons had seen and frowned. Even though she had never seen him before, he somehow seemed familiar to her.

"Careful my dear." the masked man said, in an distorted voice as he let go of her leg. "This night is not meant for mistakes."

"Hmmm...two for the price of one." the lead demon said, with a sneer in both of their directions. "This'll be a fun night."

"Leave this to me, my dear." the figure said as he stepped out in front of Rona and threw his cloak back, revealing a belt with over six long, razor sharp knives strapped to it. "Answer me boys... is Mr. Giles paying you alot to kill this girl?"

"How did you..."

"Ahhh... just kill him." the lead demon ordered as they all ran forward.

In his clenched fist of black leather, Rona saw a flash of steel in the strangers hand. Before she knew it, he ran forward in an attack and at once she knew that he was no normal human being.

A single blow sent the leader and the largest of the demon's flying backwards, where it crashed into a wall, breaking it's neck on impact. Rona noted that the figure did it however with more than his strength, it was also his incredible speed.

Seeing one of the demons pull out a gun, she was about to issue out a warning but before the hammer fell, a knife was buried in it's chest and -- before the body fell, the knife was gone. Ducking a clawed attack, from behind, the starnger thrusted both of his knives backwards, impaling the demon behind him. It took a handful of seconds, but three bodies lay on the ground dead.

"Good evening." the masked man said as he placed his, blood dripped, knives back on his belt and walked towards the black Slayer.

"Who -- Who are you?" Rona asked as she took a step back. She could sense tons of demonic energy off him, but a voice in the back of her mind said that she should trust him. It was the same voice that often spoke to her whenever she was around Xander.

"Me? I imagine all manner of names shall be heaped upon my humble visage but, for now, let me simply say that I am the villain." he replied as he threw wide his cloak and bowed deeply to her.

Xander couldn't risk exposing his true identity until he could figure out if he could trust her or not. He was just glad that he had thought to get a voice scrambler or Rona would have immediately recognized him. It was also funny that his new found power allowed him to instantly immitate moves that he had seen. He had to watch old Batman and Bruce Lee movies in order to get his moves right.

"That sounded so corny." Rona replied as she crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.

"Well let me try this another way." he said as he turned around and quickly slashed the letter x into a poster behind him, before turning back around. "You may call me X, Rona. And I was sent here to stop an assassination attempt on your life, that was ordered by Rupert Giles."

"You're lying...Giles would never..."

"Never say never my sweet."

"They were only after me, because I'm the... a Slayer. And why the hell should I trust you anyway?" she asked.

"Because, I just saved your life and I have bigger weapons." he said as he twirled the knives around in his hands.

"I can take care of myself..."

"Would you like to test that theory?" he asked as he looked over her shoulder. Following his line of vision she turned and saw ten more, of the same kind of demon, advancing towards them.

"Fuck!" she yelled out as she took a few steps back.

"Come with me and I shall see you to freedom." X replied as he sheathed his knives, even as they heard the first of the demons growls. Not giving her the time to reply, in a blink, he scooped her up and dashed into the shadows of a narrow alleyway, dissappearing into the night.

Stepping out of the shadows, Andrew sighed as his demons ran towards him.

"Estebe demonos." as he said the command the demons turned back around and ran off. Closing the camcorder lense, he looked towards where X and Rona had run off too. "Giles isn't gonna like this... he isn't gonna like this at all." with that said he turned and walked back to the Watcher's Council, hoping to whatever god that would listen that Giles wouldn't kill him on the spot.

To Be Continued... please review or I can't update


	3. Chapter 3 Vengence Be Mine pt 1

A/N This is a filler episode, before the main stuff hits the fan. Enjoy... Also thanks for the review Blackguard. I'm glad you're liking the story. And this is a warning, from here on out Xander's character is going to be a little dark. But read on anyway and you'll see why that is.

Chapter 3

Vengence Be Mine pt. 1

Watcher's Council

An Hour Later

"I...I got what you wanted me too." Andrew said with a grimace on his face as he put a brown-bag lunch; that was labeled with the British "Union Jack" flag, on Giles' desk. As he did so, he immediately wiped off his hand on his pants, with a grimace and stepped back.

"Yes...yes thank you I was famished." Giles replied with a smile as he took the bag and placed it on the floor. "Now what of Rona? Is she... let's just say not of the living anymore?"

"Well, I followed her like you said." Andrew replied as he put the camcorder on the desk and set it up. "So just see for yourself."

On an insert screen, Giles saw some grainy footage of X rescuing Rona from the demons he had sent.

"As you can see,whoever this guy is he has great reflex speed, strength, and a great bod to match." Andrew said causing Giles to look over at him strangely. "I...I mean his costume looks really cool." he covered lamely. As the last body fell, X seemed to pause and look back over his shoulder straight into the camera.

"Freeze it!" Giles ordered as Andrew quickly hit the pause button. Giles then just stared at the smiling face of the Joker.

"I'm afraid that because of the mask, it makes identifying this person impossible." Andrew said as he picked the camera back up. "But I did over hear him say that his name was X."

"This is bloody marvelous." Giles said with a chuckle. "This is working out better then I'd hoped."

"What are you talking about, Giles I thought you wanted her..."

"Yes, I do want her dead you git, now pay attention." the old Watcher said as he took the camera back. "Buffy's looking for a demon to fight, so I think I'll give her one."

"Then, I'll take this camera and hook it up to my printer." Andrew said as Giles handed him back his equipment. "When you give the word, I'll print out some lovely colored pictures of him and hand them out to the Slayers."

"Marvelous, just as long as you don't put up that blasted dry erase board like you did in Sunnydale." Giles said as Andrew headed towards the door, even as he reached down for the lunch bag. "Oh and Andrew..."

"Yes, sir?"

"Did you want a bite?" he asked as the bag started to leak out a red substance. One that made Andrew's stomach turn.

"N...no." he said immediately as he ran out of the room.

"Suit yourself." Giles replied with a shrug as he pulled the human heart out of the bag and bit into it. "More for me."

Soul Gallery

Sametime

Rona walked through the darkness and wore a blindfold as X led her by her fingertips, guiding her almost as if they were dancing. Taking a big whiff of the air, she suddenly grimaced at what she smelled.

"God...why the hell does it smell like we're in a sewer?" she asked, trying not to gag.

"Thank you for the compliment my dear but I'm not God. As I told you it's X." X replied as his fingers slipped free of her making her reach out for him, as he opened a door. "And to answer your question, we are in a sewer. It's me and my daughter's home. She call's it the Soul Gallery."

With that said he went behind her and removed the blindfold, revealing his house to her. It was a labyrinth of interconnecting underground tunnels and rooms. And as they moved into the main room she was blown away, quite like he was, when she saw all of the books and other objects in the room.

"Hmmm...nice place." Rona said as she walked all the way into the room and looked around.

"I'm sorry for having to blind fold you, but I had to be sure that I could trust you." X said as he looked around himself. "Now Rona we have much to do talk about. As I said before Mr. Giles isn't what he seems. Not only did he try to have you killed tonight but he's also responsible for the murder of your Watcher."

"How the hell do I know that you didn't kill my, Watcher?" Rona suddenly asked.

"Honestly do I look like I would be capable of such a thing?" he asked, as she looked at his cape and mask.

"Yeah...you're the picture of sane." she replied, as another nagging question came to her. "And how do you know my name?"

"Believe me, I know many things."

"Daddy, you've brought her." Drusilla said as she walked out of the kitchen area. "The Dark Slayer."

"Vampire." Rona whispered wide eyed as she took her stake out. Pushing X off of his feet, she ran towards Drusilla, ready to fight. Accepting the challenge Drusilla walked around her and goaded her on. With a growl Rona kicked at her, but Drusilla blocked her easily, as well as two follow-up swings. In retaliation she punched Rona hard on the point of her jaw sending her spinning to the floor.

Flipping back to her feet, Drusilla had to duck a kick from Rona before she grabbed her by the arms and swung her around and shoved her away. Showing her Slayer resilience, she came back at her again with a kick to the gut, making Drusilla double over for only an instant. Taking the advantage Rona lunged at her, but Drusilla grabbed her by the throat and forced her back against the counter, gripping hard and choking her.

"You see, Rona if I wanted you dead I would have killed you long ago." X replied as he put a hand on Drusilla's arm. "Drusilla please let her go."

With a shrug, she did as X ordered and let go of Rona, making her collaspe to the floor gasping for air. Extending a hand, which she took, X helped her to her feet.

"And yes, Drusilla is a vampire but a good one. I know it's hard to trust me but your life is in danger and I couldn't stand if anything happened to you." X said as he again grabbed Drusilla's arm.

"Why?" Rona asked as she gave him a look.

"All will be revealed at a later time. Now stay here for a second Rona. I must talk to Dru for a second." he said leading the vampiress away. Walking around the corner and making sure that Rona was out of hearing distance X took off his mask and glared at Dru.

"Are you insane? You almost killed her."

"Don't be cross with me daddy." Dru replied frightfully with a pout as she looked up at him. "I only did what she wanted."

"Alright." Xander said calming down.

After spending a week with Dru, he really had gotten to know her. And honestly he felt sorry for her, after she explained in grisly detail exactly what Angelus had did to her to make her crazy. And to think he now had Angel's soul inside of his body made him that much sicker.

"I'm sorry for yelling, okay." he said as he quickly pat her hand. "Now did you make the talisman that you told me about?"

"Mmm hmmm... I was a good gurl." she said as she handed him a golden talisman, that had two green gems in it.

"Thanks." Xander replied as he put his mask back on. "Watch after Rona while, I'm gone."

"We can play dollies." Dru said happily as she picked up Miss Edith. It had straggly hair and was missing an eye, but Drusilla loved it just the same.

"I'm sure she'd enjoy that." X said, smiling under his mask as he led her back out to the main room. "Rona, I'm going to go and take care of some business. Please stay down here with Dru."

"What are you about to do?"

"I'm going to get conclusive evidence that Rupert was the cause of your, Watcher's death." X said walking towards the door.

"I still don't get it. Why do you care so much?" she asked, stopping him in his tracks.

"Because, I made a blood oath with your Watcher many years ago that if anything happened to him, that I would protect 'his girls'. And at the moment that includes you." X replied as he pointed at her. "Now I must make my departure, before I'm late in meeting one of Mr. Giles' old friends named Robson. And please ladies don't kill each other while, I'm gone."

"Do you want to dance?" Drusilla asked Rona, as X walked out of the room.

"What you have a stereo down here?" Rona asked as she looked around the room for it.

"No silly." Dru said as she pulled her close. "Just close you eyes and you'll feel the music."

Rolling her eyes instead, Rona was pulled into a formal dance, leaving her to wonder if her life could get any worse.

The Subway

Forty Minutes Later

For a flashing instant, one could see X in silhouette only, cloak swirling around him like dark wings as he jumped from the bridge onto a train. As he ran deeper into the tunnel, his dark figure glided across the rooftops. Hearing a thumping sound over his cab, the conductor peered up and out of the train just as X swung down, smashing feet first into the cab.

* * *

"That was a right good meal, boss." Eddie, one of Robson's bodyguards commented as he let out a burp. Every friday night Robson would treat his two trusted guards to a meal at the finest restuarant, before taking the subway home.

"Yes, it was wasn't it?" Robson asked with a smile, as he reached into his tweed jacket for a napkin. Suddenly the brakes locked, making everyone in the cabin jerk and throwing the larger bodyguard into the Watcher.

"Get off of me!" Robson yelled, as a moment later, the lights were cut off and the entire train was plunged into complete darkness.

"What the fuck is going on?" Paul, the second guard, asked as he stood to his feet.

"Lock the car doors." Eddie ordered, as he tried to see in the darkness.

"Bloody hell." Robson said as he went into his pockets. "I have a lighter... somewhere..."

"I can't find the lock..." Paul said as he felt along side the wall. "-- wait. Hey wha--" before he could get the sentence fully out, there was a muffled shriek followed by a sharp snapping sound.

"What's happening --?" Eddie asked as there was another sound, like the leather slap of a boxer pounding a heavy bag, followed by the sound of the heavy bag collapsing onto the floor.

"I found it!" Robson announced, as he flicked on the lighter and, in the dim light of its flame, saw a smiling face. "Oh god." he said startled as X sat casually, arms folded, across from him. Looking around he saw that his bodyguards lay dead on the floor.

"Who are you? What do you want? Money? Is that it?" he asked as X just smiled. "You're... you're not going to harm me are you?" he asked as X nodded, even as Robson's eyes went wide. "You're making a mistake. I'm nobody..." as he said that, out of the corner of his eye, on the floor, he saw the bodyguard's gun.

Killing the lighter, he dove for it and in the darkness, a struggle was heard. A struggle that ended quickly. When the lighter flicked back on, X was holding it and the gun.

"Oh god, what do you want?" Robson asked as he scooted back on the floor.

"I've come to offer you a choice demon." X replied, as he spoke to him for the first time.

"What -- What did you call me?"

"I called you a demon." X said craning his head and staring at him. "Isn't that your proper title?" he asked as the Watcher's heart began to pound harder.

"How...how did you know?" he asked nervously.

"Because, I've been watching you for quite sometime and I must say, you really shouldn't be so predictable. Is it really neccessary to come out every friday at exactly the same time and go to the same restuarant, the get on a train?"

"They...they serve good food."

"I'm sure it does, but I wouldn't know of such a thing because I'm dead."

"Wha...what?"

"Oh come now Mr. Robson. Don't you recognize a fellow Watcher when you see one?" X asked as he took something out from under his cloak. Giving X a look, it only took Robson a second to realize who he was talking to.

"Oh God!" he yelled as a tear rolled down his eye. "You're supposed to be dead."

"As I said before, I am." X replied, grinning under his mask. "And it's so very strange to hear you yell out for God. Now please hold out your hand."

Trembling, Robson did as he was told and stuck out his hand. X let the light die for a moment and when he flicked it back on, Robson was holding a long, metal syringe filled with a murky liquid.

"Oh no, no! Please I was just doing what I was told!" Robson yelled as he recognized what it was.

"Of course you were. And since you were the one to give Giles that venom, I'm going to let you make a choice. Either you stick that syringe into your neck or --" he stopped talking as he pressed the gun barrel to Robson's forehead. "I can kill you right now." he said as the Watcher began to blubber.

"Crying doesn't help, demon. I remember that, that was the last thing I did before I died and it didn't help me at all."

"Please, don't make me do this..."

"It's a difficult choice, isn't it? Certain death versus something that might be... worse. But you never know. There is still a chance. You could survive. Look at me. Now, time's up, demon. Choose."

With anger galvanizing his fear, he steadily lifted the needle towards his neck.

"I'll see you in hell." Robson said calmly as he jammed the needle in and sunk the plunger.

"Yes. I'm quite sure you will." X said with a sigh. Taking out the talisman Dru made for him, he placed it on Robson's head. After a few seconds a soft golden glow came out of it and surrounded Robson's head. As it died out, he heard a noise behind him and quickly ran out of the back of the now moving train.

* * *

After hearing screams coming from the back of the train, it's workers with flashlights hurried through the cars.

"This door's locked!" one of them yelled as he slammed a shoulder against it making it give in. "Holy Christ!" he said in shock, as the flashlights sweeped over the dead bodyguards. Hearing a strange gurgling rasp he turned and found Robson in his light.

"What happened here?" the second one asked as he saw the Watcher foaming at the mouth while a thick mucus bubbled from his nose. As he reached down to examine him, Robson's breath came out in tiny rasps.

"Good lord! I need a medic here." the first train man said as Robson became more animate, trying to tell the man something.

"Xan...Xan..."

"Hush he's trying to say something." the second one said as he leaned down to hear what he had to say. Suddenly, Robson's body convulsed and blood poured out his ears. As his body slumped over, it started to rapidly decompose.

"I think he needs a priest."

* * *

With a tear in her eye, Rona fell to her knees as the last of the talisman's power faded. She didn't see her Watcher being killed in the memory crystal's power, but she did see and hear Giles and Robson talking about what the drug did and where it came from. So what X told her, that happened to her Watcher had to be true.

"So you saw that I was telling you the truth?" X asked as he helped Rona stand to her feet.

"Yeah." she replied as he wiped away some of her tears. She couldn't believe that Giles could and had betrayed them all.

"Then help me, Rona. Help me cleanse the Council of this evil."

"What do, I have to do?" she asked.

"Nothing more then you have too. Now get some sleep, we have much to do tomorrow."

"Before I do, I have to know something. Who are you?"

"Just know that under this mask lies a friend." X said, keeping her gaze. "Good night." with that said she walked off and into another room, Drusilla passing her on the way.

"Daddy, I had a horrible dream." Drusilla said, in her childlike manner as she walked up to him.

"What was it about?" he asked as he clutched his chest in pain. For some reason he'd been hurting for the past day or so.

"It's the owl...the owl is going to hurt the little key."

The Watcher's Council

Sametime

Giles watched Andrew walk out of his office, with a look of disgust on his face, as he stood to his feet and walked into a secret room. He had just reported to him that Robson was found murdered in a subway train, by code name X. Now without his old friend his mission was about to become that much harder. He had visited Xander's grave site and much like he thought Xander was gone.

"Well, atleast I still have you." he said as he picked up a huge knife and stared down at the girl he layed at his feet, bound and gagged. Looking up at him with a glare, Dawn tried to scream.


	4. Chapter 4 Vengence Be Mine pt2

A/N Thanks for all the great reviews. And I finally fixed it where anoymous reviewers can review the story now. So please get reviewing.

Chapter 4

Vengence Be Mine pt.2

Finally finishing Xander's journal, Buffy closed the book and dried away all of her tears. When she had finished talking to Willow, she had taken the book in her room and had read it from beginning to end without stopping.

Xander's journal...his life as she read it made her laugh, smile, and cry. She didn't just learn of all of the sacrifices that Xander had made, but she also learned that he was physically abused by his parents. And that fact again angered her, not only because he didn't tell her, but rather she didn't see all the signs.

But now thinking back to years past, she remembered asking him about a bruise that was on his arm once. His only reply to her was to laugh it off and say that he got it on patrol, but thinking back on that event they hadn't gone on patrol all week. One of the biggest surprises was that he had to put a cross in Angel's face, just to make him lead him to the Master's cave to save her.

All these years, she had believed that Angel was so brave, but now to think that the man that didn't have any powers made him do it, was almost unbelievible. To think, both men had kept this secret from her for so long. She also cried a little after reading his feelings about when she had died fighting Glory.

But after reading everything in the book, only a few things that he had wrote had actually hurt her to the depths of her soul. One was the time she had come back from a summer she'd spent with her father and lap danced him in the Bronze. It was an embarressing moment for her, but upon reading what he wrote, she found that she had severely hurt his feelings and that he had lost a little respect for her. And the worst thing about the whole thing was that she had never apologized to him about the way she had treated him.

The second thing was about her and Angel's relationship. She always only assumed that Xander was just jealous of him, but it wasn't really like that. Well at first it was. Truth be told he was afraid for her because she thought she could only find happiness with a dead body. He wanted her to have a normal life, with someone she could have children with and grow old together, but with Angel she couldn't do any of those things. She could only watch Angel stay young, while she was forced to grow old and die.

And the last thing that really hurt her was when Miss Calendar and Kendra were killed. She always knew that Xander was hurt by that experience, but she didn't know that it took him years to totally forgive her, for not doing her duty and killing Angel when she had the chance. He felt that if it wasn't for her that Giles' lover and her sister Slayer might still be alive till this day.

Getting out of bed and putting the journal in her dresser, she walked out into the hall and bumped into Giles.

"Oh, Buffy I'm glad I ran into you." Giles started as he put a sad look on his face. "That demon, I was telling you about struck again."

"What...who?"

"An old friend of mine. I believe you met him once, his name was Robson."

"Yeah...yeah I do remember him." she said as she put her head down, before looking back up at him. "And I'm sorry that, that happened to him. I'm so gonna rip off this things head when I get ahold of it." she said causing him to smile as she looked away.

"There is however something else we need to discuss." Giles said getting business like again. "I sent Rona and Dawn to retrieve some information for me..."

"No...no Giles don't tell me this. No not..."

"And both of them turned up missing Buffy." he finished the sentence anyway. "I have some Watcher's investigating it and I was informed just now that the demon, I mentioned earlier has kidnapped them."

"So...so they're not dead?"

"To my knowledge no." Giles replied as he put a hand on her to comfort her. "But even if they aren't dead, this thing still has the power to manipulate their minds and make them do it's bidding. Fortunately for us however, a Watcher was able to get a photograph of this culprit." he said as he reached behind himself, into a manilla folder, and pulled out an 8 by 10 portrait of X.

"I had Andrew blow up a bigger copy of it."

"Thank you, Giles." Buffy said as she took the photograph and stared icily at the smiling face of X. Looking back up at her Watcher, she suddenly looked him in the eye in a way that told Giles that he was now dealing with General Buffy. And if the poor girl was in her right mind, she would've seen that X looked nothing like the demon he had described to them that had killed Xander. "Now make some more copies of this. I'm going to get Willow and the other Slayers together. We just went to war."

Watching Buffy walk off angrily in the other direction, Giles couldn't help but smile to himself once more.

"Just another pawn in my game."

The Soul Gallery

Sametime

"Rona...Rona wake up." she heard someone say as they gently shook her. Opening her eyes, she saw that it was X.

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked as she sat up rubbing her eyes.

"I wanted to know how good of an actress you are?"

"What...? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because my dear it's time for you to start playing your part in this war." X said as he sat in the bed, next to her. "And I'm not going to be able to do this without you."

"Fine...what are we going to do?"

"We're going to pay a little visit to the Dungeons and Dragons master." he said causing her to look at him strangely.

Andrew Well's Residence

Later That Night

A shadow began moving across the manicured grounds borne on the thick mist like a dark phantom. As the little light that the moon dared to bring out, one could see that it was X, of whom glided toward the rectory, cloak undulating against the dark, wet wind.

* * *

Andrew's home, or more accurately his mansion was extravagantly furnished, somewhere between posh and pimp. Nice painting's hung on the wall, while it had flamboyant styled couches and other decorations.

"You poor...poor thing." Andrew said to Rona, as he closed his baby blue bathrobe, and handed her a glass of water. "Do you have any idea who he is?"

"No...no..." she replied as she took a very small sip of water, before sitting it on the coffee table. "But I can tell you that he's nuts. He tried to get me to turn on the Council."

"How so, fair child?" he asked as he picked up a smoking pipe, took a few puff's, and coughed quite girlishly before putting it back down.

"He told me that, Giles was a traitor to the Council and that he was going to kill us all."

"What a funny tale." Andrew said as he reached into his bathrobe as he sat next to Rona on his plush couch. "Because you see, Giles is the Council and I doubt that he'd betray himself. And as for killing you, you don't have to worry about that... because..." he stopped for a second as he pulled out his gun. "I'm going to do that."

At The Main Gate

The guards looked out into the night, fear suddenly gripping their faces, as X emerged demonically through the parting veils of fog, the white smiling mask bobbing eerily up and down as he rushed them.

A cigarette dropped from the first guard's mouth, red embers exploding when it hit the wet cement. Before the two guards had a chance to claw for their arms, the white hot flash of X's knives, sliced though them like talons. Seconds later the two men crumpled to the ground, clutching their gaping, gurgling wounds. Hearing a whisper, as silent as the night X sprinted into the courtyard.

* * *

Rona stammered, backing up along the wall, as Andrew came towards her with his gun. She never knew the little jerk had it in him to kill, but because of the crazed look in his eyes, she knew that she was wrong.

"I'm sorry, Rona. I truly am." Andrew said as his gun hand shook, with nervousness. "But by order of the Council, you are to be terminated."

As she ran, he charged after her but freezes dead in his tracks as X swings around the corner in front of him.

"Oh God!" he screamed as he dropped his gun.

"People keep telling me that, but God isn't my name. Please allow me to introduce myself." X replied with a bow. "I am a man who takes matters to the extreme in an extended amount of time. The epiphany of extraordinary examples of experimental means of carnage. I am the one exceptional extremist or the x-factor if you will that knows of the Council's plot. But on this day let me say that without exaggeration that I am only the villian, but you may humbly address me as X."

"Whoa, nice V for Vendetta speech." Andrew replied, as he sobered up a bit from his shock.

"Why thank you." X said as instantly, the point of one of his knives was against his throat. "Now Shh. It isn't polite to disturb the dead on their journey." he went on as he pressed a finger to his frozen smile, even as Rona watched from around the corner. "A courtesy I'll most respectfully extend to you."

"X?" Rona asked as Andrew swallowed audibly. "X, what are you doing?"

"Taking care of business my beautiful, Rona." he said as she looked down at the knives on his belt, dripping blood. "Now please go out to the car with Dru. Tell her to drive to the check point and I'll meet you there."

"Alright." she replied as she began backing to the door.

"Please...please don't kill me." Andrew cried as Rona ran out.

"Death has followed you since your whole career with the First. Is it any coincidence it has finally followed you here?"

* * *

Rona sprinted past the dead guards at the main gate, with a shudder, before going into the fog. As she neared where the car was, she saw Drusilla draining the blood out of the last guard, before dropping him to the ground. Looking over at Rona with her yellow demonic eyes, she suddenly shook her head and transformed back into her human guise.

"Sorry...I needed a snack." she said as her brow furrowed with confusion. "Where's daddy?"

"He said that he'd meet us at the checkpoint." the dark Slayer said as she got into the car, ignoring the urge to slay Drusilla, for killing a human. "Now drive."

* * *

"I want to know a few things, Andrew." X said as he backed the Watcher up against the wall.

"Mr. Giles trained me to be hard as steel, so I won't tell you anything." Andrew said with a girlish squeal as X pricked his neck with the knife. "Oh God, I'll tell you anything you want to know!"

"Good." X replied as he lowered the knife slightly. "Now when is Giles' big plot going to take place?"

"I...I don't know the exact date, but it's gonna be soon."

"Does Buffy or any of the others know about his plot?"

"No...no because Giles needs them dead."

'Good...Buffy doesn't know anything about this.' X thought to himself.

"But don't look for her support in helping you. Giles already told her that you were responsible for Xander's and a few key other's death."

"Let me worry about that." X shot back as he lowered his knives, to his side. "And just like Anya did the stupid thing, so must I." he said as he stabbed Andrew through the gut. "And give the First evil, my regards."

Eyes turning glassy with tears and bits of blood coming out of his mouth, Andrew looked up at X in fear. His last thoughts, as X ripped his weapons out of him, was how ironic that he was stabbed in the same place Jonathan was a year ago.

An Hour Later

A figure stared at a stain of white vomit and blood on the thick pile of a persian rug. It was encircled in police chalk, next to the chalk outline where the body of Andrew Wells was found. The circled bloodstain floated above the head like the last word balloon of a crude comic strip character. And in a matter of minute's Andrew's quarters was slowly being picked over by a forensic team from the Council.

A photographer's flash burst against a blood painted "X" on the wall near the body outline. At the window, Giles chewed on his glasses, staring at a plastic evidence bag that contained a single playing card. A playing card of the Joker.

"No prints yet, sir. Just like Robson." Dominic, one of the Council's hitmen said as he walked over to Giles.

"I want that...that pillock killed by tonight, Dominic." Giles said mildly agitated. He had planned to sacrificeAndrew himself, as a offering to his master...but now.

"Yes, sir. We're on top of it." he replied as he walked away. As Giles was about to leave himself, his Master's voice suddenly spoke in his head.

"Oh bloody hell!" he yelled as he ran out of the door. He had to get back to the Council, before X messed up everything.

The Watcher's Council

Sametime

"You look nervous, dear?" Drusilla asked Rona, as she looked over at her. They were sitting in Angel's plymouth across the street from the Watchers Council.

"Dru we're about to break into a building filled with over thirty, Slayers." Rona said with a roll of her eyes. "Who wouldn't be nervous?"

"Then maybe I should be nervous." the beautiful vampiress said as she clutched the wheel. "However I did kill one once."

"What?" Rona asked as a loud banging noise sounded out. Looking up to the night sky, she saw fire coming out of the top windows of the Council, along with a dark shape swinging through it. "That's our cue. Let's go."

"Rona, come this way." Dru said as she grabbed Rona's arm and led her down to the sewers.

The Council's Conference Room

A Few Minutes Before

"I can't believe that this is happening." Kennedy was saying to the other Slayers as Buffy and Willow walked out of the room. "That thing got Rona and Dawn. I told Giles that I should've gone with her."

"Do you think it would've made much of a difference?" Caridad, a beautiful latino slayer, asked as she sat back down at the table and handed her the box of donuts. "I mean according to Giles' field Watchers, this thing took her in less than two minutes."

"Well, I ain't Rona." Kennedy firmly told her. "I'm twice the Slayer she was and I would've kicked this things ass." 'So why couldn't Giles see that and had've given me that promotion?'

"Beside's, I wish this thing would show itself here." she said picking up a photograph of X. "Then, I'd show you guys that I'm not scared..."

A massive explosion suddenly shook the building to its very core, the rooms windows shattering and hooded pendulum lights swinging. Before they could get their bearings, another explosion wracked the building, sending the Slayer's off of their feet.

The pillar of flame rose into the black sky, dwarfing the girls in the room. As Kennedy and a few others turned they saw as a silhouette jumped through the destroyed window, backlit by a curtain of fire.

"Hello, ladies." X said as he strolled all the way into the room, his cloak blowing behind him dramatically. "Do you mind if we talk?"

* * *

"What is it with sewers, with you and X?" Rona asked as she looked over at her companion. "I mean is this a shortcut to the..."

"No...no this is to the little key." Dru replied as she looked around the dark sewer. "This way."

"I've been meaning to ask you something, Dru." Rona started as they turned down another tunnel. "Why are you on our side anyway?"

"Because of my sou..."

"Hold that thought." Rona said as her Slayer instinct kicked in. "I think I feel a demon near by." she said as a green squid-faced demon stepped out of the shadows, wearing ragged robes and carrying a long battle ax. A second later, another demon stepped out with it, also armed with a battle ax.

"Yep, there's definitely some demons. But we should make quick work of them right, Dru?" she asked as she turned around only to see Drusilla gone. "Dru?"

Hearing one of the demons growl, Rona looked back at them with a 'Oh, fuck me!' expression on her face.

The demons then charged and she hopped down from her position, hitting them with alternating front kicks. The second demon, who was quicker to recover, swung the ax down at her head. Seeing it coming she side stepped and kicked it in the back of the knee, throwing it off balance, while at the same time sending out a back kick into the first demon.

Taking the opening the second demon got up again smashing the ax handle into her chin, turning her around. With a growl the first one swung its ax at her but she caught the handle of it with her hands. As they struggled with it, the second demon slammed the handle of its ax into the small of her back. As her hand slipped free, the first demon used that to wrest free its weapon from Rona's hold, even as she fell to the ground in a shoulder roll.

* * *

"What the hell was that?" Buffy asked, as she helped Willow to her feet.

"It...it sounded like an explosion." Willow commented as she dusted off her clothes. Before she could say anything else a loud alarm blared, as the light went a little dimmer and orange light filled the hallway. "That's the alarm for the Slayer's Scythe."

"I'll check out the Scythe. You see what that explosion was about." Buffy ordered as they ran in different directions.

* * *

"I'm not here to harm any of you." X said as he held his hands up innocently. "I only want to talk to Buffy Summers."

"Yeah, you blow up the side of our building, so you can talk to us." Kennedy said as she stood in front of the Slayer group.

"To my credit Kennedy, I couldn't walk through the front door."

"How the hell do you know my name!" she practically yelled out, her eyes widened.

"Because, I'm..."

"Dead." Kennedy yelled out, before he could remove his mask, and charged forward with a sword another Slayer had slipped her. Quickly taking out his knives, he easily blocked her attack.

"Kennedy you don't understand. I'm..."

"Going to pay for killing Xander, Rona, and Dawn." she replied as she kicked off from him.

'Dawn.' X thought to himself. 'What the hell happened to Dawn?' Ducking under another sword swipe, he came up and punched her so hard that she flew back and crumbled up against a wall.

As he turned around, he was greeted with the pointy ends of swords and axes.

"I don't suppose any of you ladies would still like to talk?" he asked as they lunged at him.

Since he knew most of their moves since he had helped to train most of them, the bout was brutal and quick, knives slicing in arcs to knock the weapons out of their hands, bodies kicked and thrown with superhuman power. Even though he was doing all he could, he knew he couldn't hold all of them back forever. And that's when he sensed it. It was a vast increase in magical power. Before he could look up, to confim what it was, he was jerked off of his feet by a powerful invisible force and thrown hard into a wall, nearly crashing through it. Standing to his feet, he smiled under his mask as he saw Willow with her outstreched hand, hair blowing back by a non-existant wind.

"My beautiful beautiful Willow tree." he said as he stood to his feet with a wince. "Can't tell the difference from a man or demon I see. Soon the owl will turn it's head and all he'll see is red." with that cryptic message, he stood to his feet and jumped out of the window, his black cape billowing behind him. He just hoped that his girls had completed their part of the mission.

Looking out after him, Willow was stunned as she heard the name that X had called her. It was the same name Xander had given her when they were young. He had always called her his Willow tree, which made her develop a crush on him in the first place.

"Guys, get as many weapons as you can." Kennedy said as she regained conciousness and stood beside Willow. "We're going to go after that son of a bitch, now!"

"No you're not." Willow said lowly, still looking out into the night.

"What?" Kennedy asked. "But after all that..."

"I don't think that...that thing...that man had anything to do with their murders."

"But you heard what Giles said." ignoring her girlfriends rants, Willow looked down by her foot and saw a manilla folder. Opening it, her eyes widened at what she saw.

* * *

The two demons surrounded Rona again and tired of playing games the first demon charged but she deflected the ax and shoved the creature into the second, pinning it against the wall. She then stepped forward with an inward crescent kick to knock the ax aside, before slamming a right fist into its gut. Not missing a beat, she was already following through with a hard left hook, as the first demon bent forward giving her a clear shot at the second demon's face.

She raised a knee into the first demon's face, making him stand straight again, and then spinned into a flawless jumping back kick, slamming them both against the wall again. Stunned by the sheer power of the blow, the first demon fell on its face, while the second demon charged. Seeing it's charge she was able to grab the handle of its ax as it drove her back into the opposite wall. She wrestled with it as the first demon got back to its feet and started to swing its ax directly at her.

In the last instant, she twisted the second demon around in front of her, who took the blade in the stomach. As it fell to the ground dead, the first demon took another swing at her, only for her to duck away. The demon quickly followed through into another swing, but she easily caught the handle again. Diverting the blade away from herself, she took a quick punch at the creature's face. Stunned by the punch, she ripped the ax from its grip and the weapon flew away from them, slightly knocking her off balance.

The demon took advantage by punching her hard in the face, sending her to floor. The demon then went after its weapon, just as Rona raised her head and noticed the other demons ax just a couple of feet from her. As the demon bent down to pick up its weapon, she got to her knees, snatched up the ax and tossed it with a sick smack into the demons head. Spasming wildly and growling in pain Rona watched until it finally fell in the water dead.

"Got that ass." Rona replied as she wiped at the bloody slash that was on her forehead. "Now where the hell did Drusilla go?"

Secret Room

Feeling a pair of cool hands on her brow, Dawn opened up her bruised eyes and lowly screamed as she saw who was in front of her.

"Don't scream, little key." Drusilla said as she softly caressed Dawn's cheek. "I'm 'ere to save you, I am."

"No..." Dawn rasped out. She had already taken so much abuse from the hands of Giles, now this. Easily breaking off Dawn's chains with her vampiric strength, Drusilla picked up Dawn before she fell to the floor.

Sensing power radiating in the room, she looked around and saw a red and silver ax, with a spotlight over it, sticking out of what looked to be a boulder. Making sure the now unconcious Dawn was secure in her arms, she walked over to it and as she touched the handle it burnt her hand.

"Bloody, 'ell!" she screeched in pain as she put her fingers in her mouth, to stop the burning. It was like she was touching holy water.

Before she could figure out a way to try to get the weapon, she heard the door behind her open. Turning, she gasped as she saw Buffy standing there with murder in her eyes.

Taking one look at Dru and then at her bruised and battered looking sister in her arms, Buffy jumped to conclusions. Before she could run forward and engage the vampiress, something smacked up against the back of her head knocking her unconcious. As she fell to the floor, it was revealed that Rona was behind her with a large bat.

"God I wanted to do that for a long time." she commented, dropping the bat.

"What kept you dear?" Dru asked, causing her to let out a sigh. Not saying anything, Rona grabbed the Scythe, taking it out of the stone, and ran out through the secret access door.

The Soul Gallery

An Hour Later

"So, I see you girls completed the mission." X commented as Rona entered the room, with the Scythe in hand.

"Yeah and we brought someone with us." she said as Drusilla entered the room, cradling the still unconcious key in her arms.

"Dawn, what happened to her? I..." before X could get close to touch her, Drusilla growled low in her throat warding him off. Walking past him, she headed into her bedroom to lay her down.

"I'll explain later." Rona told him as she sat the Scythe down on the coffee table, before sitting down on the couch. "Now what's our next move?"

"For me to reveal my secret identity to you." X said as he took her by the hand and stood her back up. "Rona you trusted in me when you really had no reason too. For that all I can do is simply this." he said as he took off his mask, finally revealing himself. "Hello Rona."

"Xander?" she asked, her hands shaking. "Bu...but how? How long have you been alive?"

"That's the same thing, I want to know." a voice said from the shadows. "And I think you better tell me first."

"Willow?" Xander asked as his life long friend walked into the room.

A/N Because of the undertone of this story, I didn't feel that a love story made much sense at this point. Especially since this is going to be a short story that'll probably only last another chapter or two.

I am however planning a special scene with Xander and his girls.


	5. Chapter 5 The Truth In Explaination

A/N Thanks for the great reviews. I'll try to have the newest chapter out as soon as possible. Hopefully this chapter will answer some questions about what going on. I thought it was neccessary because the bout with X and Buffy is coming up soon.

Chapter 5

The Truth In Explaination

"Willow?" Xander asked as she walked into the room, an angry look on her face. "How did you know where to find us?"

"Come on Xander, do you know how much power that Scythe radiates?" she asked with a shrug. "I'm a super witch remember?"

"Yeah...yeah I do." he said as he walked closer to her. "Where's Buffy and the other..."

"Nobody knows, I'm here." she cut him off. "Somehow I didn't think that they would believe this." she said as she handed him the folder that read Andrew's big secrets and lies on the front of it. "The way Giles has it set up, everybody believes that a demon is going around manipulating peoples minds. So if, I had've shown them this, Buffy would've just thought that I changed too."

"But what made you trust me?" Xander asked as he sat his mask on the table. "I mean I was wearing a mask the whole time and..."

"It was what you said to me. You...you called me your Willow tree." she said, thinking back to memories past. "You haven't called me that in years. Besides only you could think up something that corny to say to me."

"I told you." Rona replied with a grin as she pointed at him.

"Damn." Xander said with a snap of his finger. 'I thought I had the rhyming thing down pact. Damn Spike and his poetry.'

As he thought that he was suddenly engulfed in a huge bear hug. Looking down he saw that it was Willow and with one of his patented lopsided grins, he returned the hug.

"I...I missed you." Willow said as she let go of him, only to slap him hard on the face.

"Ow." Xander pouted as he rubbed at his jaw. "What was that for?"

"For not telling us that you were back." she answered. "What's the matter with..."

"Will's give me a little credit here." he stopped her in mid-tirade, which was very dangerous to do. "I didn't know if I could trust you guys or not."

"Why?"

"Because...because Giles is the one who killed me in the first place."

The Watcher's Council

Sametime

"I'm sorry Mr. Giles." a girl with long red hair said as she handed him a hair brush. "But I tried the locater spell and where ever Miss Rosenberg and the Slayer's Scythe is, there's a powerful shield around them protecting thier location."

"That's quite alright, Tabitha." Giles said to Willow's first student of magic as he put the brush on the table. "You tried your best."

With that said she walked out of the room, along with six of the other witches Willow was training.

"They seem to be coming along." Buffy commented as she put the cold compress on the back of her head and letting out a soft wince. After finding Buffy unconcious, Giles had taken her into his office and started to treat the nasty bump on the back of her head.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that even with their combined efforts they're still no match for Willow's power."

"So you think she turned on us?"

"Against her will, Buffy." Giles said as he pat her, on her knee. "You have to remember that."

"Is this really how this is gonna end?" Buffy asked seriously as she looked up at him. "Everybodies gone. Xander, Willow, Dawn, Angel, and even Spike...again. I'm all alone."

"That's not true." Giles replied as he took off his glasses and looked down at her. "You still have me." eyes watering Buffy stood to her feet and pulled him into a bone crunching bear hug and put her head on his chest. "Um...Buffy I need to breathe."

"Sorry." she said as she let him go. "So what are we going to do now?"

"The same thing we always did in Sunnydale, I suppose." he said with a shrug. "Wait until the bad guy attacks and then we counter react. But this time however..." he stopped as some soldiers ran into the room and stood in formation. "We're going to be ready. Now gather your troops. We must prepare for a war."

* * *

"It turns out this all started a long time ago." Willow commented as she dropped the manilla folder on the coffee table. Even though Xander had stolen it, he still didn't have time to read it because he was going to show it to his friends first. "It started with Angel getting cursed by the gypsies with his soul and from what I read we weren't even supposed to be involved with Buffy."

"What do you mean?" Xander asked as he sat beside her.

"According to that first file, Darla wasn't supposed to have taken Jesse." she replied a bit choked up as she talked about her old friend. Till this day she still hadn't forgotten. "But the First mentally influenced her to take him."

"So we could get involved."

"Exactly. Somehow it got a hold of information from the future and it knew that if we would get involved that you would be the one to revive Buffy and start the second Slayer line." she stopped for a second to let him take in all that she said, before she continued. Now it all made sense to her about what Buffy had said to them almost a year ago. She had said when she took the Slayer Scythe out of the stone in Sunnydale, that Caleb and The First had acted as if they knew exactly what was going to happen. "With the second line started it gave the First a foot stool into our dimension but still that wasn't enough. It needed something else...it needed me."

"Because of your magic."

"You remember that time when I gave Angel back his soul?" she asked as he nodded his head. "Well the thing I didn't tell you was that um...I kinda got a little possessed."

"Getting possessed isn't as fun as it sounds is it?" Xander asked with his arms crossed as he thought back to his past possessions of the hyena and the soldier.

"No it wasn't fun at all." Willow replied with a pout. "It felt evil. There was a voice talking in my head and it spoke through me."

"But why would it want you to give Angel back his soul?"

"So that I could get addicted to magic and so Angel would leave for LA."

"I thought it thrived off of evil though...I...I mean why would it want this Angel guy starting a second front?" Rona suddenly spoke up.

"There's evil on earth no matter what we do, so it doesn't just thrive off of that it thrives off of imbalances." Willow told her. "It needed me to be powerful enough to awaken all the Slayer's into Slayerhood and it needed Angel to destroy all the major players of evil on his end. Including the most powerful ones in our dimension ...the Circle of Blackthorn."

"Now I get what you're saying." Xander said as he stood to his feet and started to pace around. "God I feel so stupid. The First never died at all, because with an over balance of Slayer's it would only become all the more powerful. It's probably on vacation now and all it was waiting for was for Angel to kill the circle so it could have an easy time taking over."

"But what about it killing off potentials?" Rona asked.

"It only did that as a ploy so we could make all of the other guys Slayer's." Willow said as she looked up at Xander. "And you were wrong about one thing Xander, the First's not on vacation."

"How do you know?"

"Because of the necklace that Angel brought. I'm guessing that Wolfram and Hart knew what was going to happen and sent him here. I later did some research on it and it said that it would send evil to hell, while the wearer of it had to give up their life."

"So it didn't have a picnic in the bahama's then?" Xander asked, causing Willow to give him an irritated glance.

"In Andrew's notes it said that they needed three things in order to get the First out of hell and rebuild the hellmouth. It didn't say what they were and by the Goddess I don't know why Giles was involved."

"But I do." Xander said glancing down at the floor. "I've been gathering intel all week and I even managed to break back into the Watcher's Council for info and...Giles isn't Giles. He's been dead for over a year and a half."

"What...Xander you have to be mistaken because I would've known..."

"Actually you wouldn't have. Remember the story that Giles told us when he went to see his old friend Robson in England when the First attacked?" he asked as she shook her head. "Well that was only part of the story. After Giles killed the Bringer and turned around Robson stood to his feet and infected Giles with a symbiote demon..."

"Well...well then there's still hope. I can..."

"Unless you can take us back in time your magic isn't gonna work Will's." he cut her off. "It was a Monev symbiote demon. They instantly kill the host and take over their body and keep all of their memories."

"Giles." Willow whispered as she thought back to the man that had been not only the brains, but the father of the Scooby Gang.

"And the reason why your magic and the Slayer's senses didn't tell you what he was is because that kind of demon has the power to shield itself. And as for what it needed to free itself, it needed the blood of a true chosen Slayer, the Slayer's Scythe, and..."

"The key." Drusilla said as she walked into the room with Dawn at her side.

"Drusilla?" Willow asked as she worriedly stood to her feet. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Flashback

The Hyperion Hotel

The Same Day As Why We Fight

Clutching her doll, Drusilla walked through the Hyperion's garden, enjoying the smell of jasmine, before walking into the old hotel. Dust and old droplets of blood wafted through the place like old memories in one's mind. Even though she had never stayed there, she could sense that this place was once filled with evil happenings. But despite that the place looked nice and for some reason, her not daddy left in a hurry.

"Beautiful place isn't it?" a feminine voice asked out of nowhere.

"Where...where are you?" Dru asked frightfully. The voice had been speaking to her all week and since she was in the hotel it seemed to bounce off of the walls.

"I'm where I need to be Drusilla. But you aren't."

"No...no I know what you're going to do!" Dru screamed as she touched her head in pain, recieving a powerful vision.

"Yeah, you see what I'm going to do but do you see what will happen to you?"

"Stop talking to me in riddles."

"That's funny coming from you, Julia." Drusilla heard the familiar voice chuckle.

"No...no don't say that name."

"But it's yours. Julia Edith Crowley...it sounds a whole lot better then Drusilla if you ask me."

"No..."

"But you didn't have a choice in taking that name did you?" the woman asked. "Angelus took that choice from you when he drove you insane and made you into a monster."

"My daddy knew best for me, he did!" Drusilla shouted to the voice as more visions flooded into her mind. "He knew best..."

"But he still took too much from you. He took your mind, your innocence, and your power of choice."

"Liar...he made me whole. He made me into a black goddess."

"I wonder what your family thinks about that?" she asked playing on her emotional side and making Dru take a step back towards the door. "You remember them don't you? Did you know that Angelus raped your sisters before he killed them? Or that he made your father watch as he drained your mother dry, before he cut off his gentinals and killed him?"

"That sounds like music to me ears." Drusilla demonstrated as she started to dance.

"I know that's not true, Julia. I've seen everything that Angelus...Angel had done in his whole life. Including what you said to him. Do you remember this?" she asked as a holy light shone down on Drusilla, forcing her to flashback to a few years ago.

------

Drusilla ran her hand across the lid of an elegant wooden box labeled 'Holy Water'. Singing quietly to herself, she lifted the lid and took out a small crystal pitcher.

"The lamb is caught in the blackberry patch." she said with a smile as she approached Angel, who was sitting on the floor of her room. "My mummy ate lemons. Raw." she continued as she kneeled next to him and smiled again as he was tied to the posts of her canopy bed by both wrists high above his head. "She said she loved the way they made her mouth... tingle. Little Anne." with that said she ran her hand up and down his chest before she let some of the holy water trickle onto his chest. It steams and burned like acid, making Angel jerk his head back in pain and stifle a scream. "Her favorite was custard... brandied pears."

"Dru..."

"Shhh!" she replied sternly as she stood up and climbed onto the bed behind him. "And pomegranates. They used to make her face and fingers aaall red." she said as she reached over his shoulder and let more holy water dribble onto his chest. Again Angel gritted his teeth in pain, but would't let himself scream out loud. "Remember? Hmm? Little fingers. Little hands. Do you?"

"If I could..." Angel said shivering in pain.

"Bite your tongue!" Dru interrupted angrily. "They used to eat cake, and eggs, and honey. Until you came and ripped their throats out." she said sweetly as she poured the rest of the holy water onto his chest, making him scream out loud in agony.

------

"You remember that night don't you?" the voice asked as Dru fell to her knees in tears. "That doesn't sound like someone that was happy that their family was butchered."

"What...what do you want with me?" she asked as she suddenly felt a presence behind her. Turning she saw a pretty brunette with short hair and a beautiful smile.

"I want you to make a choice, Dru. Something that Angelus took from you a long time ago."

"Will it hurt?" Drusilla asked innocently, as she dropped her doll.

"Just a little." Cordelia said sadly as she put her hand on Drusilla's chest. With a scream her eyes glowed orange for a second, her soul now restored.

End Flashback

"So...so you have a soul?" Willow asked, even though she had already used her power to "really" see Dru and saw a ball of light shining through her. Cordelia must've wanted her to join Angel at Wolfram and Hart to assist him doing his final battle, hoping that her prescence would even the odds.

"Yeah and me being alive proves that." Dawn said as she ran up to Willow and gave her a hug.

"Dawn what happened to you?" Willow asked as she saw some cuts and bruises on her face.

"Giles happened." the younger girl replied. "He had me tied up in the secret Scythe room. I guess my time as the key isn't over like I originally thought."

"It's going to be okay, Dawn patrol." Xander whispered into her ear. Turning she let out a startled gasp as she saw her girlhood crush, standing behind her grinning goofily.

"Xander?"

"In the flesh." he said as he opened his arms wide as if to hug her, only for her to run up and kick him in the shins. "Ow...why is everybody hitting me?"

"Because you left me you jerk." she said with a glare that quickly turned into tears. "When did you get back?"

Pulling her into a hug anyway, she grabbed madly at his back and she tightened her grip on him.

"This is a call for celebration." Drusilla said happily as she started to clap her hands.

"Why because we're all back together again?" Rona asked.

"No, because we're all going to die tomorrow, when we attack the Council." Dru said as she looked at her new not-daddy for confirmation. "Now come children let's pick out some music." she said as she grabbed Rona and Dawn's hands and dragged them off to get some music.

"What does she mean by us attacking the Council, Xander?" Willow asked as she walked up to him.

"We can't just stroll in and say hey that guy isn't Giles and we can't even talk to Buffy right now because that imposter is telling her that I put a spell on you guys." he replied as an old fifties slow song started to play. "May I have this dance my lady?" he asked with a bow as his cloak billowed behind him a little.

"Yes, but no funny business buster." she said with a smile as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her close. "Andrew had his lies to Angel down to the letter. He told Angel that Buffy was in rome dating a former enemy of his called the Immortal and that we were all abroad gathering up Slayers. He wanted it to make it look like we weren't going to help him, even when Fred died."

'That's part of the reason why I killed him.' Xander thought to himself.

"So what's your plan on getting Buffy to believe you?"

"After I killed that demon version of Robson, I used a memory stone on him to extract all the dirty deeds that he and Giles talked about together. She made a bigger version of it and when I attack the Council tomorrow night, I'm going to rig it to explode and when it does those memories will go into the minds of everyone within a mile of the Council."

"That sounds like a good plan." she said as she leaned her head on his chest. "Xander can I tell you something?"

"Yeah, Will's. You know you can tell me anything."

"Do you promise not to be mad?"

"Willow..."

"I...I sorta let Buffy read your journal."

"What! Willow you promised me that if anything happened to me that you would destroy it."

"I...I know but Xander it was the way you died and...and everyone was all upset. And not to mention Buffy with all the guilt of you dying and..."

"Willow." Xander stopped her in mid- babble. "Never change. So what did she think about it?"

"She was a little heart broken. She didn't know that she hurt you so much."

"Speaking of hurting, I wanted to apologize to you Willow. I mean about what I said to you when I was possessed by that hyena and when we started fluking."

"Xander that's ancient history and..."

"What I said to you when I was possessed was a lie, I guess the hyena wanted to say something that would definatly hurt you." he went on. "I didn't even put this in my journal but I had feelings for you long before Buffy came into our lives. But when she did, I guess I wanted her a little more then you. And when we had our fluke I accepted that I could never have Buffy and I decided that I was going to tell you what I wanted to since we were little kids. What I'm saying here Willow is that I'm sorry I hurt you and I wanted you to know that I love you and you'll always be my best friend."

"I...I can't believe this." Willow said aloud. 'Why the hell couldn't he had said this to me six years ago?' she asked herself. "Xander...I...I love you too, but why are you telling me this now?"

"Just take a close look at me, Will. I want you to be honest and tell me what you see."

"You look fine, what are you..."

"Just look deeper." he whispered into her hair. Doing what he asked, she looked at him harder and didn't see much out of the ordinary, but using her magical powers she saw that he strangely enough had three souls and that his life force was slowly slipping away. "So how much time do I have left, doc?"

"But...but I just got you back...you can't..."

"Willow, I need you to concentrate." he said as he stopped their dance and looked down at her. "Please, how much time do I have left?"

"One day...maybe two." she said as her tears slowly fell from her eyes. "But maybe I can use magic and give you more tim..."

"No, Willow. We got into trouble the first time by doing that remember?" he asked with a sad smile. "Hopefully this day I have left will be enough. That's why I wanted to tell you that I love you Willow, because I didn't get a chance last time. After, I'm gone will you promise to do something for me?"

"Yeah...you know I'd do anything."

"Will you look out for Rona for me. She's not meant to be a leader yet, but I can sense that she might be good at magic."

"I'll teach her everything I know." Willow replied as the song switched to another slow one.

"Good and do one more thing for me. Tell Buffy...tell her that I'm sorry and tell all of my other girls, even Dru, that I said goodbye."

* * *

"I wonder what those two are crying about?" Rona asked, as she looked over at Xander and Willow dancing and sobbing.

"I don't know but I'm going to go find out." Dawn said, only for Drusilla to grab her arm.

"No don't disturb them." Dru said gazing lovingly at Willow and Xander. "Daddy and the little tree must talk. Now come let's dance." because tomorrow they might all die.


	6. Chapter 6 R For Rebellion

A/N Takes place a day after chapter 5. Also there's going to be one more chapter after this.

Chapter 6

R For Rebellion

Soul Gallery

Late Night

"Are you sure that you want to come with us, Dawn?" X asked as he stepped out of the shadows, after finishing putting on his gloves. "Are any of you sure you want to do this?"

"I'd rather die fighting, instead of be used as a damn key again." she replied as she picked up a sword. "I'm in this no matter what."

"Yeah, boss man. You ain't getting rid of us that easily." Rona said with a grin as she armed herself with the Slayer's Scythe.

"You got that buster?" Willow asked as she jabbed a finger into his chest.

"Daddy." Drusilla said as she entered the room. "The cars ready outside."

"Good girl." X said as he put on his mask. "You all know your parts so let's go to work."

"Daddy." Drusilla said again as she grabbed his arm. "Miss Edith told me that I was going to get not-daddies reward."

"What does that mean?"

"I...I don't know, but it's making my shiny tingle."

"Then maybe it's a good thing." he said as he caressed her cheek with his hand. "Now come on, we have to go."

The Watcher's Council

An Hour Later

"I think Giles and Buffy are being paranoid." Vi replied as she and Tabitha walked towards the front door. "I'm not saying that this guy isn't going to attack us, but why do they seem to think that he brainwashed Willow and the others?"

"Well she did block my spell, so I couldn't find her."

"As far as we know that demon did that." she countered.

"No it was Willow." Tabitha went on. "She taught me how to read magical auras and the one that was blocking me was hers. I'd know it anywhere."

"It doesn't matter if she did it or not." Kennedy said as she walked up behind them, startling them both. "Because when this demon is dead she'll..."

Before she could continue her rant, the door suddenly flew open, revealing Willow floating several inches above the floor, her hair blown back by an unseen wind. In just a few seconds Drusilla, Dawn, and Rona ran in behind her.

"I...I guess she is evil." Vi whispered to Kennedy as she took a step back.

"I'm sorry, Willow." Kennedy mumbled as she ran forward, through the swirling wind and slapped her girlfriend hard on the face. Forcibly knocked down, with a wince Willow stood back up, her hands splayed out to her sides, her eyes an inky jet black.

"And, I'm sorry too." Willow replied as she looked up at the ceiling and engaged her powers.

The lights dimmed, as a low rumbling reverberated through the building making the entire council shake to its foundation. Pushing more power into her attack, the Slayers were knocked off of their feet by a powerful invisible wind.

Walking past their downed and unconcious bodies and further into the hallway, they were suddenly confronted by about ten soldiers, their guns trained on them.

"Holy crap." Dawn said as she took a step back. Grabbing Willow's hand, Drusilla tapped into her limited magickal powers, just as they opened fire.

Opening her eyes Dawn saw as their bullets bounced off of a slightly shimmering force shield in front of them. As the soldiers stopped firing, Willow let go of Drusilla's hand and with a growl shot an energy ball at them that knocked them all out, except one who Dawn promptly kicked in the face. Continuing their trek, they entered a room at the end of the hall and closed the door behind them.

"X, we're in position." Dawn said into her walkie talkie earpiece. After a few seconds she heard his static filled reply.

"Then please get started."

Taking the ingredients out of her bag, Willow held up her hand, the memory crystal resting in the center of her palm, and began the incantation.

"Open the window, fill the stone. Inside, outside, two made one." as she said that a glowing field of crimson energy surrounded the crystal and it rose up off Willow's hand, hovering in the air.

A gale force wind then sprung up in the room, blowing Willow's hair back from her face as she intoned the mystical phrases. Seeing that the first phase of the plan was going well, Rona looked over and pulled down the main switch for the building, plunging the entire council into darkness.

* * *

"What the bloody hell just happened?" a soldier asked as he looked over at his Lt. commander.

"That bastard must be here." he replied as they all took out their flashlights and looked around.

"Yes..yes I guess I am here." the heard a voice say. "Though, I'm not a bastard."

Finding where the voice came from, they all turned and found a smiling X behind them. As they went for their weapons, X went after them. Quickly finishing them off he ran for an elevator and as he emerged from it immediately attacked several more guards. A surveillance camera watched as after a few seconds he stepped over their slumped, broken bodies.

Watching from the camera room, the security guard saw X on the monitor coming directly down the hall.

"Bloody hell!" he yelled out as he grabbed his machine gun, aiming it just as X kicked open the door. "Freeze!" he yelled making X stop dead in his tracks.

Hearing the noise at least five guards trained their weapons on him as they entered the room. He was surrounded. Slowly, he lifted his arms as though surrendering, but as his cloak opened it revealed, his razor sharp knives that dripped with the blood from their fellow soldiers.

"You stupid wank..." before he could finish the sentence, X shot out an elbow that shattered his nose. As the other soldiers opened fire, X ducked and rolled on the floor, avoiding the shots while at the same time shooting out his knives killing them instantly.

Ducking out of the room, he jumped into the shadows just as five soldiers crept forward in a tight formation, their flashlights probing every nook and cranny. Behind them, a secret passage opened and he stepped out. He was among them with frightful speed, a grinning dervish with blades like metal fangs ripping and rending flesh, slashing bright in the flashlight. Other soldiers rushed towards the screams and gunfire but they found only five bodies and warm blood running down the walls.

* * *

"Mr. Giles, let me get you to safety." Captain James, a man in his late forties said as he heard from the opposite end, another series of screams and machine gun fire that lit up the dark hallway for a moment. Then, nothing.

"I'm inclined to agree." Giles said as he turned to run.

Only getting a few feet down the hall, X dropped from above, his cloak a swirling cloud of squid ink that hid him in the darkness. Again, quicksilver knives lashed out, drawing fonts of blood, just as a knife sang through the air and buried itself in the Captain's chest. With a tiny rasp, he fell to the ground dead.

"I hate to inform you Mr. Giles but this all ends tonight." X said standing up from his crouch.

"I've come too far for it to end like this." Giles said as he took out a .38 caliber revolver. "Goodbye, again Xander." he said as he pulled the trigger.

Click. He never loaded it. There was an awkward moment of silence, then X moved, cloak opening, filling the hall like a black tidal wave that enveloped Giles. With a choked scream X embraced him, slipping a knife above his floating rib.

"I wanted to tell you something before I killed you, demon. If theres anything left of the old Giles in there, then I wanted him to know that I always felt gratitude towards him. He was like a father to me."

"And I still could be. Join our side Xander." Giles said as X growled from under his mask. Giles then sputtered as he clawed at X's mask as he thrusted the knife deep into his chest. Giles eyes then widened in horror as his life poured out the knife wound. With a violent yank, X jerked his blade free, letting Giles slip to the ground, dead.

"Noooo!" he heard someone scream, making him drop the knife. Looking back, he saw that it was Buffy, with a horrified look on her face and a machine gun, that she had picked up from a dead soldier, in a trembling hand. He knew how much Buffy hated guns, but he saw in her eyes that her anger far outwieghed such a feeling.

"You...you took everything from me." she started with tears in her eyes.

"Buffy, you don't under..."

With a scream, Buffy opened fire and watched as the bullets knocked X back a bit but he continued, grabbing at his mask. Eyes widening with disbelief as he just kept walking towards her, Buffy fired another volley of bullets.

The machine gun roared, bullets shredding out through the back of X's cloak as he continued with short deliberate steps until, the hammer clicked against the pin. The gun was empty and looking up she saw that X was standing before her.

"Buffy." X said as he stood amidst the carnage and seeping pools of red blood. Taking a step back his body wavered. Taking his hands out from beneath his cloak he revealed that his gloves were wet with blood.

"How does that feel?" Buffy asked as she dropped the machine gun and moved purposely towards her foe and kicked him in the leg shattering his knee. "Huh demon? Is that the kind of pain you put my friends...my family through? Rona...Willow... Dawnie...Xander?" she said the names as she punctuated her point by punching him in the face at each name. X also noted that she seemed to get choked up as she said the name Xander.

Before she could reach up to give him the killing blow, he quickly took off his mask, making her gasp at who she saw.

"X...Xander?" she asked as he started to topple over from all of the pain he endured. Inches from the ground, he was relieved when Buffy caught him and placed his head in her lap. "This...this has to be a trick. I...I don't understand."

"You will." Xander said with a tear in his eye as he reached up and weakly touched her cheek.

"But you were killing every..."

"I only killed the people that were in alligence with the First." he said with a bitter smile at her confused look. "Dawn and our real family are okay. At least this time when I die, I get to look at your beautiful face."

"No, don't talk like that. Maybe I can still..."

"There's no time for that Buffy. Either way I'm dying." he said as he grabbed her hand, before blood started to cake his teeth. "I gotta tell you this, Buffy. It's something I wanted to tell you for a long time..."

"Xander just save your strength." she replied as she heard someone running in their direction. "Somebody help us!"

"Buffy, just listen to me." he commanded her attention as he looked at her hard, even as blood started to gurgle out of his mouth, hard death tears in his eyes. "I...I love you. I've been in love with you since the first time we met. All these years, I've been lying to you...telling you that you were just a friend to me. I always wanted more."

"I know." Buffy said as she started to stroke his hair, absently. "Willow gave me your journal and you're like a different person to me now. Why did you keep so much from me?"

"I...I had to. It was my killing joke." he replied as he felt his life slipping from him. "Buffy...tell my girls that I love them. And give...and give Rona this." he said as he handed her his mask, his chest heaving more and more trying to draw in air. "Tell her to be strong and that everyone isn't her enemy. Tell her that the world can be filled with heroes if she let's it."

"I promise."

"Buffy, is this how it felt for you when you died?"

"What?" she asked, knowing that they didn't have much time.

"I feel at peac..." the word lost on his lips, Xander's eyes rolled in the back of his head and with one final huff of air he stopped breathing.

"Xander? Xander? No..." she cried out as she held his head in her arms and rocked him back and forth.

"Buffy?" Kennedy hesitantly asked as she walked up behind her. "What's going...Xander?"

Not saying a word, Buffy still rocked Xander's dead body back and forth in her lap, even as blue light filled the hallway, filling her mind with understanding and images of what happened to Giles, Angel, the Council, and everything that was really supposed to happen in her life.

* * *

"No!" Drusilla cried out as she sank to her knee's with tears in her eyes. Seeing that Willow was still to busy, consumed in her spell Dawn and Rona ran to her side to see what was the matter with her.

"Dru, what's wrong?" Rona asked as she kneeled next to her.

"My...my new not daddy is dead. Now I'm all alone."

"Your new...Xander." Dawn realized after a few seconds.

As Drusilla sat there crying a heavenly light only she could see glowed over her. Turning into a small ball, the light raced to her right hand then through her whole body making her collapses with a strangled cry. As she came back up gasping for air she heard the sound of her heart beating.

"Dru...Dru are you okay?" Willow asked as she finished her spell and ran up to her.

"No...no I think I'm rather ill." Dru replied as she looked from Willow, back to her hand. "Because, I'm alive."

Winsler Cemetery

The Next Day

The rest of the Scooby gang held themselves together quite nicely, considering that they had to bury Giles and Xander. As Buffy looked over Giles body, she had seen a worm like demon in his body and killed it. She couldn't believe that over a year in a half, she had been following a demon's guide.

But the hardest thing to her was saying goodbye to Xander. He had been like a brother to her for over eight years and it unnerved her a little to think that he wanted more. It didn't unnerve her because it was Xander, but rather why she never considered being with him. Seeing Rona walking past a group of people, she quickly ran up to her.

"Hey Rona, wait up." Buffy called out, making the black Slayer turn to look at her. "Are you sure about leaving town?"

"Yeah." Rona replied, as she looked down to the ground. Every since what happened last night, she had an overwhelming urge to skip town. "There's nothing for me here anymore."

"Before you go let me give you something." Buffy said as she handed her Xander's joker mask. As she did so, she saw a flash of something in Rona's eyes. It was a look that Xander would have in his at times. "Before Xander...went away he asked me to give you that. He wanted me to tell you that...that he loved you."

"Thank you." she replied as she stared down at the mask hard.

"Well, since I can't convince you to stay, all I can say to you is good luck. Speaking of which I need some myself. Because of Willow's spell, the memory crystal touched the minds of over two thousand people last night, even some higher ups in government and all of them know about the Council, demons, and even us now. I have to go to a press conference thingy tonight and explain everything about demons before the country gets paranoid and not only kill all demons, but us too." with that said, Buffy turned to leave.

"Buffy wait." Rona called out as she looked up from the mask and into the eyes of the older Slayer. "Do you need any help?"

The Next Night

BBC Headquarters

"So, R is it?" a snobbish looking reporter asked the masked figure that looked like X only with a feminine body, up on stage. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that story?"

"It matters nothing to me about what you believe." R replied in an distorted voice. "But everything that I've said is true. Demons are very much real and through us...the Council we will take care of things."

"And just how long has this...Council been taking care of things?" a general of the british army asked as he stood to his feet.

"As long as demons have been here I suppose."

"And why shouldn't we just arrest the lot of you for being vigilantes?" he asked with a wide smile. 'I got you bloody bastard's now.'

"General, may I ask you a question? Have you ever walked into a home and saw children laying on the floor with their throats ripped out? Because I have and we took care of the monster that did that to them. If you were to arrest us then fine, but you have to deal with the consequences of those actions. All of us Slayer's are prepared for these monsters and many people aren't. If you got rid of us then the monsters would truly win." she said making the General angrily sit down. He had to admit himself that she had a point.

"So why is the public just now learning of these demons, if they've been around so long?" another reporter asked as he stood to his feet.

"Many of you have probably seen a demon...or things you couldn't explain and thought nothing more of it then a nightmare or hallucination. Believe me these things have been around for quite some time."

"What I want to know about is that vampire you spoke of earlier. I believe you said her name was Drusilla."

"Julia...she likes to be called Julia now." R corrected him. "There was a prophecy long ago, called the prophecy of Shanshu. It spoke of a vampire with a soul that would go through many trials and would have a hand at either starting or stopping the apocolypse. We stopped a major end of the world event last night, so she got her reward."

"But my question is...are all demons dangerous?" a female reporter asked.

"I'm afraid that I must take my leave." R said as she stood to her feet. "I'll let Miss Summers answer that question." she said as she looked at her sister Slayer before she started to walk off the stage.

"Wait...wait... at least tell us what R means?" an older man asked as he stood up in the crowd.

"Come now old chap...surely you know that R is for Rebellion."

* * *

High above the gathered mass of people outside of the BBC , a masked figure stepped out onto the roof's parapet. The crowd exploded as they saw her. Smiling under her mask, R took off in a run and jumped from building to building until finally jumping down to the ground and into the street.

Savoring the cool air, that made her cloak billow behind her, a huge battle axe suddenly whipped past her head and embedded itself in the wall of a building. Turning she saw four huge, muscle bound red demons standing out in the street.

"We are the diciples of the First evil." the demon who threw the axe spoke, as he lowered his arm. "And we've come for you."

"As I knew you would." R replied as she ran forward, her knives singing in the night as she threw them.

A/N Also here's a secret about the story. Dana the Slayer Andrew took from Angel was going to be used for Giles' sacrifice for the First. Buffy didn't even know about her existance and the so called Slayers that Andrew had with him when he confronted Angel were nothing more then hired actresses, so they didn't have to worry about the gang ever finding out what they had done.


	7. Chapter 7 Shadow Of Destiny

A/N Thanks for all the great reviews, but like many great things this too must come to an end. It's really been fun, but I have to start on some more fics.

Chapter 7

Shadow Of Destiny

AKA

Into Eternity

Place Unknown

His headache subsiding, gentle music filled his ears as Xander opened his eyes. Ignoring the glare of the bright lights, he sat up and immediately touched his chest.

'My wounds are gone.' he thought to himself, as a hand came out of nowhere.

"That's because you made it to heaven." a familiar voice told him. Accepting the hand he stood to his feet and looked face to face with...

"Cordelia?" he asked confused as he looked at her up and down. "Did you say I was in heaven or hell?" he asked with a chuckle as she hit him on the arm.

"Watch yourself dweeb, I'm a higher being now."

"A higher being of what exactly?" he asked as he rubbed at his arm. "Shopping?"

"I missed you." Cordelia said with a tear in her eye as she pulled him into a hug, which he easily excepted.

"I missed you too. I came to visit you a couple of times when you were in your coma."

"Yeah, I know. I felt your presense in my room...I never knew that you could cry so much."

"Hey, those were manly tears." he said with mock anger, before looking around again. "So this is heaven?"

"A plane of it anyway." Cordelia said with a shrug. "It's not so bad."

"So what do you do up here for fun?" he asked as he walked past her and looked around.

"Well my job is kinda boring...I watch over peoples destinies...you know the usual."

"So can you use this to see anybody?" he asked as he looked at her huge crystal ball.

"I'm way ahead of you big guy." she said with a wave of her hand. As the smoke cleared out of the ball it showed an image of Buffy, sitting by herself at a dive bar, drinking heavily and crying.

"What is she doing?" he asked as he looked closer. "I knew that she was going to grieve a little but I never wanted this for her."

"She's upset because of the lie that she told the others Xander. She didn't tell Willow or anybody else that she was the one who killed you."

"But how...how is her destiny gonna unfold?"

"Honestly, I don't know yet. She has a lot of pressure on her right now, especially since she's the new head of the Council. I do know this though, if she wastes her life at bars her life isn't going to turn out so pretty. She's just going to go through life without an anchor to keep her grounded."

"I...I wish there was a way I could help her."

"Say no more." Cordelia said as she waved her hand over the crystal ball again.

The Wetherspoon

Buffy sat back in her chair at the bar and downed another shot of whiskey, wincing as it burned down her throat. Grabbing the whole bottle, she downed the last of it in one gulp.

"Relationship problems, lass?" the old bartender asked as he walked up to her and took away the empty bottle.

"Something like that." she replied woozily.

"Hey, you're the girl from the news aren't you. You're Buffy Summers."

"Yeah, that's me all over. Buffy the Slayer of ichy things."

"So you're trying to tell me that you kill the things that go bump in the night?"

"Yeah." she said as she turned her head and glanced over her shoulder at a group of three guys and two girls playing pool behind her.

"A little thing like you?" he asked as one of the guys came over and leaned on the bar next to her to talk to the bartender.

"We want to cash out."

"Nice shirt." Buffy said to him with a drunken grin, making the guy give her a disgusted look.

"Here you go."

"Okay, guys, let's go. Let's go find some real fun."

The five pool players then left and seeing them walk out the door Buffy straightened up in her chair. After a beat she got up no longer laughing and followed them out.

"You guys really know the doorman?" the redhead out of the group asked as they cut down an alley. "I mean you can get us into the Chanco?"

"You know what, I don't want to go clubbing anymore. I want to party, right here." the leader of the group said as he grabbed at the girl.

"Hey back off!" she screamed as she pushed him away, just as one of his companions grabbed the other girl.

"Shut up and die!" he snarled as he grabbed her around the throat and vamped out.

"Excuse me. 'scuse me. I'm sorry." Buffy said as she walked up to them apparently drunk. "But has anybody seen my car? It's big , and and it's shiny."

"Piss off, babe." the leader said before he took a good look at her and saw how pretty she was. "Unless you wanna join the party?"

With that said Buffy walked up to him and leaned in to get a closer look at his face, making him growl slightly at her. Fanning her face Buffy leaned back: "Man, somebody needs a breath mint?"

Pushing the girl away, the vamp swung at her but she easily ducked. Coming up with a punch herself, she knocked him into a wall. Her coat billowed around her as she high-kicked another vampire on the top of a car; before she crouched close to the ground to sweep-kick the ankles of the other vampire, knocking him off balance and sending him to the ground.

Standing up, she waited for the two vampires to charge at her again. All they heard was a clicking noise as her arms stiffened. As they ran at her, she held her arms out to her sides, revealing she triggered hidden stakes that unfurled from under the sleeves of her jacket. Not being able to control the run the vampires ran into the stakes, and dusted screaming. After the dust cleared, she was immediately taken off guard by a punch to the face. Quickly getting her bearings, she kicked the leader in the stomach and staked him through the chest.

"Great." she said as she looked around to see that the girls were long gone, before walking down the alley and putting her stakes back in place. "Nobody says thanks anymore."

As she neared the end of the alley, she suddenly heard a noise. Jumping into a defensive stance she relaxed a bit as she didn't see another vampire. Seeing something moving inside of a huge cardboard box she peeped inside and saw a beautiful black kitten, with soft brown eyes staring at her.

"Come here kitty." she called to it as she held her arms out for it. Without a moments pause it did just that and ran into her waiting arms.

"What are you doing out here alone, Mr. kitty?" she asked it as she saw a name tag around his neck. "Let's, see they call you..." she gasped for a moment, but then smiled as she read it's name. "Alexander."

------

"Hey, why did you stop it?" Xander asked as the crystal went cloudy again. "It was just getting to the best part."

"Because it's time for you to go." Cordelia said as she grabbed his arm and led him away from the wall.

"But...what about the others?"

"I can't tell you how their destiny's will unfold, but Rona is going to start her own team to take on the dark forces. Drusilla, Dawn, and Willow are going to join her. Now stand still this won't hurt a bit."

"What are you going to do?" he asked with wide eyes.

"Giving you your reward." she said as she put two fingers on his forehead, making him dissappear in a ball of light. "This timeline is over, now it's time to start on a new one."

With a curse word on his lips, Xander was just about to say something to Cordelia, until he blinked and found that the scenary changed. Instead of seeing endless clouds, he was on a beach.

Looking around, as seaguls squawked above him, he saw hundreds of people running around in bathing suits. All of them were seemingly having a nice time.

"Hey, heads up!" he heard someone shout out. Looking up, he was knocked off his feet by a volley ball that bounced off of his head. "Hey Xand-man I said heads up." the voice said as he extended his hand to help him to his feet. Because of the glare of the sun Xander couldn't see the man's face until he stood to his feet.

"Jesse?"

"The one and only." he replied as he put the ball back down on the ground. "It's been a long time man." he said as Xander pulled him into a hug.

"H...h...hello Xander." he heard someone say tentively behind him. Turning he saw that it was Kendra, Tara, Anya, Joyce, Miss Calendar, Giles, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and even Spike for some reason.

"I can't believe this."

"Believe it my boy." Giles said as he took off his glasses to polish them, as he looked at him sternly. "We saw what you did on earth."

"You're not mad about how it turned out are you?" Xander asked nervously.

"Are you kidding, it was a bloody...I mean a very good show."

"Sup, Xand." Gunn said as he shook his hand, just as his little sister ran up and grabbed him around the waist. The two had met months ago at the LA hospital when he had went to see Cordelia. "What you did with those knives was tight."

"Thanks. So finally the Scooby and the Fang gang are together." he said as he looked around. "I hate to spoil the moment, but where's Angel?"

"Bloody Peaches." Spike said with a snort. "He's on a bloomin' mission again."

"Forget about that right now." Jesse said as he threw the ball to Xander. "Let's have some fun."

Nepal

Early Morning

A lone figure, wearing a dark cloak and hood with a walking stick, walked slowly through the whipping wind and snow of the Himalaya's. Falling to their knee's out of fatigue and hunger, a voice talked in her head.

"Stop whispering damnit." the woman yelled into the wind. "I'm here."

Giving herself a moment, she collected herself and started to dig into the snow with her hands. After a few seconds she unearthed a tiny golden box, with words written in different languages on it. Putting in a tiny key that she got from a mystic, she opened the box and watched as a heavenly glow wrapped around her, making her dissappear into the early morning sky.

As the light finally faded she suddenly found herself, lying on the floor of a musty dark cave. Standing to her feet, after seeing that the box was gone, she heard voices coming from the shadows. Looking around a boulder, she saw a tall vampire, with leather clothes, red eyes and red stuff smeared around his mouth, behind a familiar looking blonde, whispering to her.

Breaking her staff in half, she ran forward and plunged the broken end into the unsuspecting demons heart, before he could sink his fangs into the blonde. Only having time to scream, the vampire ashed, only leaving it's skeleton behind.

"You okay, B?" the woman asked as a much younger Buffy, came out of her daze.

"What...who..who are you?" Buffy asked as she took a look at the Master's bones and then back up at the cloak wearing woman. "And how do you know my name?"

"The names Faith." Faith replied as she threw the hood off of her head and listened to Angel's voice. "And let's just say an Angel told me your name. Now come on, let's crush some bones."

A/N I know this is going to get highly debated about why Spikes soul is in heaven, but love him or hate him, anybody that gives up their life for the greater good deserves to be there. And he did it without fawning over Buffy so there...

Also this was originally a spinoff to seraphim2db's fanfic Thinking of an Angel. He was supposed to write more on that story and then do this fic, but he's lost his confidence in writing. So alot of stories he was supposed to do, I'm doing. Hopefully soon, he'll come around and do some more fics. Also the ending was supposed to show what happened to Faith and it was to be part of the beginning of the new chapter of Thinking of an Angel.


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